Anamnesis
by xhalleonlatsyrc
Summary: "The only person she can't remember even a single thing about is you." After that fateful night, Yui, at the brink of her death, survives and wakes up, unable to remember only one. Ayato / Yui / Subaru.
1. Chapter 1

Characters: Sakamaki Ayato / Komori Yui / Sakamaki Subaru

Series: Diabolik Lovers (Anime)

Content: Romance / Hurt & Comfort

Status Type: Ongoing

Note: This begun from where Yui stabs herself in the Anime adaptation, but assumingly where Cordelia does not re-possess her body. Yui also does not reawaken as a vampire.

* * *

Blood. Fresh, dark blood, gushing out as if a dam had broke.

Ayato gulped, but there was no blood thirst. The only thing that hit him was a wave of panic and desperation, as his hands moved instinctively to cover over the wound in her chest.

 _Don't die on me, Yui._

She had stabbed herself, in order to save him, to save everyone. If she hadn't done it, he mightn't have had the opportunity to strike at Richter with a final blow.

 _She's so stupid. She's so damn stupid._

Ayato slipped out of his blazer and covered it over Yui's wound hurriedly, his breathing ragged. He turned around and yelled at Shu and Subaru, both of them whom stood a side. Shu looked composed and Subaru had a slight look of concern.

"The both of you, do something!"

Subaru replied, "Reiji's already on it."

Ayato turned to stare at Yui's face, which is only getting paler by the second. Humans are so frail. Just a mere stab from a knife and she can't even self-heal. But of course, he is only sorely reminded once again that Yui isn't like him. Ayato takes and presses his blazer down on her chest, holding her hand in one of his. He notices she's cold and very much not what he is used to.

He knew that his brothers, Laito and Kanato had gone after a bleeding Richter, the damn uncle of theirs, so infatuated with the old hag of a dead mother that he had been the cause of all their problems. He hoped Laito and Kanato would burn him and may he never step foot into this house ever again. If it hadn't been for Richter, Yui might be okay.

 _If only I was stronger…you might be okay._

Ayato's worries only showed more evidently on his face with each passing moment. Yui was going to bleed to death.

"I can't take this anymore," Ayato swore under his breath, and just as he was getting up to stomp to Reiji's, the man appeared, clasping a small bottle of potion in his hand. The light red potion swirled gently inside.

"Is this…is it going to save her?" Ayato asked, almost snatching the bottle out of his hand.

Reiji replies calmly. "It's a healing potion, for her physical wound. Now hurry."

Ayato nodded once, unscrewing the cap to the bottle. He gives another glance at the girl, who's lying silently on the sofa, unmoving. She was too still and too pale, her usual self almost unimaginable to him already.

Ayato took a swig of it, and then leaned down to press his lips onto hers. He then opened his mouth cautiously to let the liquid flow in and down her body. It's a surprise to him, how he is feeling such desperation to keep her alive.

And then they waited. Laito and Kanato had returned, Laito reassuring that they've burned the old man downstairs good 'once and for all'. Shu, Reiji and Subaru were also there. All of them were waiting to see if the potion had worked or not.

"What are you doing, Ayato?" Laito asked, when he sees Ayato get up from another seat towards Yui, who's still lying there.

"I want to see if the potion's worked or not."

He lifts up his blood-soaked blazer and puts it aside, noticing that no blood seems to be gushing out anymore. He then opens the tear in her dress further, where Yui had put the knife into herself.

"The blood's stopped. She's healing."

Just immediately after the words left his lips, he notices her twitch. She is coming around.

"Yui. Oi, wake up, Chichinashi."

Yui peels her heavy eyelids open, struggling to adjust. Her body felt terribly weak and her head, as if a bus had just ran her over. In front of her was a handsome face, his expression concerned.

"Chichinashi, are you okay?"

She squints a little, as if trying to discern a faraway signboard. She was trying to read his face.

"Who…are you?"

* * *

Ayato grabs at the collar of Reiji's jacket, this close to slamming him against the wall and breaking his neck.

"Are you fucking around with me? You never said the potion was going to erase her memories!"

Reiji had a hand around Ayato's arm, ready to defend himself if the red head was going to go ballistic (which is actually already happening, in his opinion.)

"It does not. As I've said, it's for the healing of her physical wounds."

"Then why the hell doesn't she remember me? It's got to be your damn potion."

"Now, can we not insult the person who just saved her life?" Reiji said, almost too calmly. "I'm afraid I don't know what happened either, as of right now."

Ayato let Reiji go in a fit, creases forming across his forehead. He couldn't understand. She didn't hit her head when she fell because he was the one who'd caught her. So, why is it that Yui isn't recalling things?

"Maybe it might seem unimportant but if you haven't already realised," Reiji said, "The only person she can't remember even a single thing about is you."

* * *

Yui had slept for more than a good day after the incident. She had little food, a mixture of liquids involving water and cranberry juice, but other than that, she had mostly been sleeping. The potion had also worked wonderfully, leaving nothing more than the tiniest scare from the knife. None of the vampires had disturbed her, something new and frankly speaking, rather unexpected.

Finally, when she had felt more energetic and made her way out of her room for the first time in a while, she was bombarded by them.

"Bitch-chan~ You're up at last."

"You, I was getting bored playing with Teddy on my own."

"Tsk, are you okay now? Not that I'm trying to be concerned or anything like that."

Yui was taken aback but the ruckus all quite pleasant, although she reckons they'll be after her blood soon once she's all recovered.

"I'm fine everyone! I think I'm getting better. I'm really sorry that I kept all of you worried like that." She smiled.

"Then, you really do remember us?" Laito asked curiously.

"Yes, of course!" Yui nodded. "Laito, Kanato, Subaru…"

"What about Ayato then?" Shu asked, although he was not even directly facing her and instead, slacking on the couch.

Yui swallowed and looked worriedly into the direction of Sakamaki Ayato, who was on the sofa but looking at her. His face looked so serious that it really scared her. But Yui isn't one to lie.

"I'm…I'm really sorry..."

Not one to take no for an answer, Ayato pushed passed all his brothers, grabbed Yui by the wrist and dragged her upstairs back into her room by force. He did not care about her protests nor how his grip must've hurt her. Slamming the door behind, he hurls her on the bed roughly, a dark look over his face.

Yui looks left and right, panicking, and just when she tries to get off the bed to run somewhere to hide, Ayato grabs her leg to stop her. He climbs onto the bed himself, leg wedged between hers so she's unable to get away, pinning her hands above her head. There is only one way, in his opinion, to get her to remember then.

He sinks his fangs forcefully into her neck, not bothering if he hurt her in the process, leading Yui to scream out in shock. Her blood tasted as sweet as ever, the way he knew it was. Yui continued trashing about, but as hard she tried, she was no match for him and his strength. Tears were starting to form in her eyes as the vampire continued on.

"Do you remember me now?" Ayato breathed, his face still buried in against her neck, him licking at the blood. When he didn't receive an immediate answer, he shifted to look at her.

Yui was crying, her gaze fixed on him as their eyes met. This came as a slight shock to him. She should already have been used to his fangs by now.

"Why are you crying, Chichinashi? This isn't new to you."

Yui's tears continued to flow. She had no idea who he was and what he was doing. She remember how fangs that tear into her skin feel like. She also remembers how it feels to realise the blood that's leaving her own body. But she doesn't remember him. Ayato's face was only a vague blur in her mind and try as hard as she might, she can't recall at all who or how he is.

"You're joking…" Ayato says in disbelief, but she realises that he has let her hands go free. Yui quickly sits up, but not away from him.

Ayato continues. "We go to the same school everyday. We're in the same class. Every night, we'll sleep together here, or if not, it's at my room. Every single day, you surrender your blood to me and only me."

Yui stared him, her mind running amok. Everything this man is saying isn't making sense. She remembers things about herself, about this place and the vampire brothers, and not all of it is crystal clear but it gets better bit-by-bit. The only exception is this person.

"Then why," Yui asked, "Why is it that I can remember your brothers but I can't remember you? It doesn't seem right." She was just as perplexed as he is.

That was the thing Ayato can't figure out himself. He doesn't deem her to be lying either. Ever since the first day Yui got here, he'd dare say she'd spent the most time with him. (It was all forceful at first) but she had slowly gotten used to him and he was comfortable with her as well. She had been encouraging and patient and he'd thought she had seemed satisfied with this life. How could it be that she suddenly not remember even a bit of that?

Not one to give up easily, Ayato leans towards her, cupping her tear-stained face in his hands. Her eyes flutter close as he moves to kiss her.

To Ayato, he has poured all of his feelings in that one kiss, whatever those feelings may be. It's almost unimaginable, for him to hold this amount of affection for a mere, weak human-being, but he was desperate for Yui to acknowledge his presence and her memories. They have to be lodged somewhere and he was sure of it.

Ayato deepened the kiss, upon feeling Yui kiss him back. She tasted sweet, nearly as sweet as her blood had been for him. It was almost addictive. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip, kissing her in a slightly hurried manner, the kissing sounds they made clearly audible. When he pulled away first, Yui was seemingly panting and she had a hand gripping on his shirt.

He didn't say anything, instead just looking at her.

"I…I'm so sorry," she apologized.

The next thing Yui knew was that there was nothing but an angry, pained look on Ayato's face. He disappeared the moment she'd blinked.


	2. Chapter 2

It's been a few days already. Ayato thought maybe this sort of things need a little bit of time, like a healing process, and since humans are slow at recovering, it'll take longer for Yui. But patience was never his forte, and by the third day, whatever patience he had left had wore thin. Against her free will, Ayato dragged Yui to Reiji's study to have her looked at.

"So, can you do anything about it?" Ayato asked, as Reiji examined Yui. He watched as Reiji checked Yui's health stats and asked the girl a series of questions, supposedly to test her memory and mental status. He didn't really get how all of it is really going to help but if anyone in this damn place could be of some use, Reiji was his best bet.

"Seems fine to me." Reiji stood up to take a step back and observe the girl. It was not the answer Ayato had hoped to hear.

"That's it? Where are all the tools and medicine? I thought you're supposed to be good at this stuff," he complained.

"I'm not a neurological expert at human-beings and this isn't a hospital," Reiji spat back, taking off his gloves to change them to new ones, "I could only run a few simple tests, but so far, I do not sense any abnormalities."

He continued. "Mental status seems fine. Nothing out of the ordinary with her behaviour, speech or thought process either. No impairments with her cognitive abilities-."

"So what does that mean? You can't fix her?"

Yui just looked on at the both of them, hands gripped to the chair.

"That means," Reiji sounded almost exasperated at his idiotic half-brother, "There's nothing be fixed. There's _nothing wrong_ with her."

Ayato was pissed. "Don't fuck with me. You know she can't remember anything about me so how the hell does that look like 'nothing wrong' to you?"

"I'll give you that, that a profound memory loss that happens so suddenly is extremely rare. But I can't be of any help. Maybe her memories will come back gradually. That's all I can say."

Ayato grabbed Yui by the arm roughly and headed towards the door. Reiji called out to him just before they could leave completely.

"Or perhaps, she could be this way forever."

* * *

Yui slowly returned to her day-to-day activities. It wasn't that difficult for her to adapt to everything again, considering the fact that she supposedly already had. The past few days had been rough, but she was picking herself back up, doing all the cleaning, cooking and studying that she used to do.

 _I didn't even forget the plot of this story_ , Yui thought. She was reading a book from where she last left off, at the veranda in the Sakamaki home garden. This entire place could use more sunlight, but for now, she was simply glad to be outside getting some fresh air.

The only curious thing was that despite her being able to recall some of this nitty-gritty stuff, there were still other things that were fuzzy, which she did not let anyone know yet. Mostly, it had to do with people. There were certain things about some classmates that she couldn't recall, and she reckons even some stuff about the Sakamaki brothers as well, except you can't possibly know what you _don't know_. It was just that the things pertaining to Ayato have her drawing the biggest blank.

The guy hadn't given her a lot to go on either, usually showing frustration and anger in front of her in the past few days, rather than actually being patient and helpful about it.

 _Is this the sort of person he always was that? Why was I even close to him?_

Ayato did not strike her as the kind of person she'll willingly be around and actually be happy with. But till she remembers more, Yui decides it's better to keep all this to herself.

"So you're here."

Yui looked up to see the youngest Sakamaki looking straight at her. His look was intimidating, but Yui knows better. He had ever entrusted a dear possession to her and had encouraged her to leave the mansion on more than one occasion. Sakamaki Subaru was kinder than he looks.

"Mm," Yui nods, "I wanted some fresh air. And to get some reading done."

Subaru came up the veranda and sat beside her, although he kept a slight distance. The white roses that bloomed and surrounded the veranda were a pretty sight to be seen.

He kept quiet, propping an elbow up and mostly was just gazing out. He probably didn't want to purposely disturb her. But after a while, he spoke.

"Hey, Yui."

Yui looks up from her book.

"Are you feeling better now? I mean, after the other day."

Subaru was referring to that night, when she had tried to kill herself but was brought back. Yui smiled, "I am. I'm sorry for making everyone worry."

"It's fine, it wasn't your fault. The old bitch and her pet dog had to come back and ruin things. But you still can't remember anything about Ayato, is that right?"

"Yes." She answered regrettably.

And then a brilliant idea struck.

"Subaru!"

He looked at her, an eyebrow raised.

"Do you think you could tell me about Ayato?" She asked.

Subaru didn't look like he was exactly ecstatic over the idea. "Why can't you just ask him yourself?"

"I want to. But he's always just upset around me that it's hard to ask. I want to know what happened and how I was with Ayato before all of this happened, but I just can't ask him straight and I don't know who else I can go to."

"What about Laito? Or the others? Why not them instead?"

Yui shifted in her seat, hugging the book to her chest. "I'd love to ask but I'm…I'm a little afraid." It was the truth. As much as she could get along with the rest, she feels that it's difficult to have an actual conversation with any of them. Laito would want to constantly touch her, Kanato's temper was much too erratic, Reiji was too intimidating and rigid, and for Shu…any conversation would mean he'd have to firstly be awake.

Yui caught herself possibly saying something offensive and rushed to correct herself. "Not that everyone isn't nice or anything! Please, don't get me wrong."

Subaru moves closer towards her, his face suddenly a little too close for comfort.

"Are you trying to say that you aren't afraid of me?"

Yui did not avoid him, although she could feel her face heating up.

"I think…it is easier to speak with you than the others."

She could see that Subaru was slightly surprised, as if he hadn't seen that coming. But Yui honestly felt this way, because out of the six in the mansion, although Subaru could turn violent easily as well, he never took his temper out on her ever. At least, that was how she remembered him to be.

"Fine then, if you insist."

Yui was elated. "Really? Thank you, Subaru!"

"But," He pushed the hair away from the side of her neck, "I expect something in return." Instantly as he said that, Yui knew what it meant and clamped her eyes shut.

 _This isn't the first time you've been fed from. Don't be afraid._

However, seconds ticked by and when Yui didn't feel anything and there was no horrible piercing through her skin, she opened an eye to peek at him. Subaru had already stood up to go.

"Aren't you going to bite me?" She asked.

"Not until you're all recovered," he said, waving a hand as he left, "I don't want you fainting and me having to carry you all the way back."

* * *

It seems things might be going uphill. With Subaru's help, Yui now felt more positive about being able to recollect her memories. Not being able to remember was scary and she'll try as hard as she can to be able to. Even little bits and pieces are fine. After all, she really felt bad and could understand Ayato's frustration.

As she went down the hallway towards her room, Kanato appeared out of nowhere, scaring her.

"Kanato! What are you doing here?"

Kanato looked her confused. "What are you talking about? This is where I live and I have the right to be anywhere I want. Isn't that right, Teddy?" Of course, Kanato does not go anywhere without his treasured stuffed teddy bear.

"Well, I'm on my way back to my room. I'll see you later, Kanato-," she was just going to go past him but Kanato grabbed her wrist.

"I'm hungry, and so is Teddy. Feed us."

Teddy wouldn't be the problem, but Kanato is. He had ever fed from Yui before, as she could remember, and it wasn't the feeding but his unpredictable temper that scared Yui more than anything. If he were in a bad mood, he could torture her relentlessly.

Reluctant was Yui, but refusal could mean dire consequences. She'll have to agree.

"Let her go, you hysterical brat."

Ayato had appeared suddenly and basically pulled her out of Kanato's way. Silently, she is thankful, but seeing Kanato flare up was not a fun sight.

"You! Always ruining things! Who are you to take her away from me!" Kanato screamed at the top of his voice, livid.

"She belongs to me. Take your teddy and go find your own blood bank."

Ayato had his arm around her Yui and in an instant, Ayato had zipped them to her room, completely leaving Kanato behind. _He's amazingly fast_ , learned Yui.

"Th-thank you, Ayato," Yui said.

"Give me your blood," he said outright.

 _Well, it has to come down to this_ , she thought.

Ayato didn't wait for a reply and Yui couldn't feel more vulnerable with her back against the wall, them alone in this room. He had her ark her neck to the side, before plunging his fangs through her snow-white skin. He just wanted to drown in her taste, to suck the life out of her if he could bear to even. No one could taste better than her.

"You're clinging onto me, Chichinashi," he smirks, as Yui has a hand on his shirt and the other on his shoulder. "Are you feeling good or something?"

"Does it…does it always feel like this? When you drink from me." Her eyes were glazed over.

Ayato takes it as a seal of approval and silently feels good about it. He changes positions to the other side of her neck, piercing through her skin and taking her blood just as easily, holding and lifting her up as he does it. He walks them to the bed and lays her down, crawling above her. He was now sucking from her shoulder and it felt gratifying. From Yui's expression, it seems like she isn't minding it too badly herself.

After a short while, Ayato decides to give her a break. He stops, wipes his lips and lays beside her, unmoving.

Yui had thought it was all…oddly pleasing, to have Ayato drinking from her. Maybe it was the way that he did it or maybe no one has really drank from her for a couple of days now so she's got the extra blood to spare. But she was thankful that he knew his limits and he didn't take too much.

"Are we usually like this? Do we lay side by side like this and I'll give you my blood?" Yui asks. The situation of her not remembering him set in again, something that Ayato was honestly trying to avoid being reminded of. He didn't feel like he's in the explanation mood.

"Look, I-," Yui continues, "I don't remember being especially close to anybody in this house. I was thinking I could've been. If none of the rest of your brothers ring a bell, then I'm guessing…it _has_ to be you. Maybe the one I had been closest with and talked to the most is you, Ayato." What she said surprised him.

 _She's trying her best to remember. I have to try to give her time._

Ayato never had anyone care for him in his whole life, the way Yui had done. It was almost unbelievable but even for someone as powerful as himself; he could no longer imagine a day without her or her blood. She may not remember the things she'd done or said but he still did.

"Wha- why are you looking at me like that?" Yui asked. He had been staring at her, he realised.

Ayato pulled her towards his chest, hugging her. Her scent was strong and he loved it. "Just be with me, like this," he'd said.

Yui blushed, and gave a tiny nod. For the past week, all Ayato had been was rude and harsh with her, and she couldn't keep up with him. She had been struggling, and only sane because she hadn't completely forgot everything, and all this she had silently hoped Ayato would understand.

But now, being here with him felt nice. It didn't feel out of place or wrong, and there was some comfort in that realisation.

"Was I…in love with you?" Yui asked quietly. When she didn't receive any reply, she looked up, only to find that Ayato had fallen asleep. He normally feels like somebody that's guarded, but right now, she could find no trace of that on his handsome face.

She's somewhat glad that he didn't hear her after all. She wanted to give herself time to figure things out, and if she truly were in love with Ayato or at least they got along, surely she'll know. Besides, now that Subaru has agreed to help her with remembering, things could hopefully speed up.

Ayato smelled really nice. Not long after, Yui fell asleep as well.


	3. Chapter 3

Being back in class after a while somewhat feels odd. Yui hadn't been to school in the past two weeks. Of course, the medical reason she presented was that she was suffering from hypotension _(since she can't really go around saying she'd been stabbed, then magically brought back to life.)_ Still, now that she's rested and energetic, she's ready to rejoin the class.

Yui ran her fingers lightly across the wooden desk that she sat at, feeling slightly bewildered to be back after what seemed like a long time. She could remember and make out the faint ink marks on the surface of her desk.

"Chichinashi, what are you spacing out for?"

Ayato took his seat next to her, propped his head up with an arm and stared at her in a very unamused way. She didn't know he sat directly next to her. Just thinking about how they slept side by side in her bed last night, which was less than 12 hours ago, made her blush instantly.

"No-nothing!" Yui said, turning away at once.

Ayato seemed to have caught on. He smirked, pulling his seat nearer to her, that his face was right next to her ear.

He whispered, "It's about last night, isn't it? If it feels that good to be with me on bed, maybe we can try something more intense tonight."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" But she said it a tad too loudly.

Their teacher, who'd just stepped into class, immediately had his attention caught.

"Komori! What's going on over there?"

"Nothing! I'm sorry, teacher."

As Yui turned to glance at Ayato, her face still a deep red, Ayato had gone back to putting on his nonchalant face, although she could swear it's mischief she sees in his eyes.

* * *

The bell rang for supper, and the corridors gradually filled up with students going in, out and about. The school that Yui and Sakamakis are in are not an ordinary one, and this isn't just because the school happens after night falls, but because many popular celebrities, sportsmen or the well to do are enrolled in it. Just a flip of the latest gossip magazine and Yui could easily point out maybe 20 of those people whom she's seen at school.

It's also surprising to see that some of these people _(mostly the girls)_ are so eager to mix with Ayato, whom Yui reckons they don't even know he's a vampire.

"Ayato~ I gave you my number the other day but you didn't call me~"

"Say, Ayato, wanna come join us after school for a late-night karaoke session?"

Yui wasn't very keen to hang around in class. Sure, the man might be good-looking but to watch them fight over Ayato was ridiculous. Yui decided it's better that she just head off. Just as she stood up, Ayato had grabbed her by the wrist roughly.

"And where do you think you're going?" he barked.

The few other girls who were surrounded about Ayato immediately turned to point their attention towards her, which frankly speaking wasn't too comfortable.

"To the washroom. And maybe to grab a juice."

Ayato hmphed and released her, although he still looked at her darkly. Yui didn't mean to be rude or anything, but if she had to be around to see other girls hanging around with Ayato, she'll rather not be around at all.

* * *

Yui gave all the spare change to the vending machine, and with her packet of cranberry juice in hand; she made it to the rooftop. Lately, she's been into cranberry juice _(and it's got nothing to do with because it helps her blood or to satisfy the Sakamakis' bloodthirst.)_

The air was cool and crisp upstairs that Yui wondered why she didn't just come up earlier. There were a couple of other students that were there, mostly the loners, so Yui decided to head around the back where maybe she could maybe be alone too.

However, the moment she caught Subaru in sight, she filed the idea away.

"Subaru!" she called out to him happily.

Subaru was seated on the ground, and upon hearing his name, turned to her direction. Although he didn't look extremely pleased, he didn't look unwelcoming either. He just looked like he had been well alone for a while.

"Aren't you hungry? Did you buy something to eat?" Yui asked.

Subaru gave her a look. "I'm a vampire. Unless of course, you want to offer me some blood, which I'll gladly take…"

It had been a rhetorical question and Yui wanted to hit herself for asking.

"Ah, right. I'm sorry."

She stayed rooted in front of him for a while, and so, with yet another sigh, Subaru cocked his head as a signal to allow Yui to seat next to him, which Yui accepts quickly.

"So, what happened? Weren't you with Ayato or something?"

"I was," she answered, "But then he became pre-occupied, with some other girls from the other classes. I don't really know them."

"Mr. Popular, someone is."

Yui nodded, sipping her juice slowly.

"How's class?" Subaru asked.

"It's okay. We only had geography and literature so far this evening. Ayato fell asleep but yesterday, I read up on some of what I missed out the last two weeks so it's not too bad."

"And you remember everything?"

Yui gave a small smile, "The syllabus? Sort of, I guess. I don't remember Ayato being seated next to me in class though."

"But you knew he was in your class?"

"I looked through the class register beforehand, and so I figured it out. I do just wish Ayato could be a little more patient with me."

Subaru looked at her thoughtfully for a bit, which Yui didn't even realise, being lost in her own thoughts. Right now, all she could do is skive through the puzzle pieces and figure out which ones go where. She had hoped that with a bit of luck and some intelligence, she could recall things, but it was easier said than done.

Subaru let out another small sigh. "You know, before you, Ayato never stuck with a girl for long."

Yui's ears instantly perked up. "Really?"

"He plays around with them, sucks their blood, then leaves. He took your blood too, but this week's the first time any of us has ever seen him this way."

Yui didn't know what to think. Did he really care for her or was it just the blood? Ayato was mean but when he was good to her, she finds herself submitting to him easily. She wonders if it's because of lust, coupled with feeling obligated, that she even cares for Ayato. If she could read minds or magically regain her memories, all might be well, but no.

"I don't know, Subaru," Yui replies, "I don't know what to feel about Ayato."

Silence lingers in the air, as a gentle autumn breeze runs through the air.

* * *

In the end right after class, Ayato had disappeared (maybe he went karaoke after all), leaving Yui to head home alone herself. In her mind, she had many things she wanted to let Ayato know, in which first and foremost, she wanted to be on her own.

It was a nagging feeling right from the start, but her short talk with Subaru only firmed up the idea. As much as she wanted help herself, help Ayato, she was also frustrated and she just wishes to be alone, at least in the mean time. Set on telling Ayato her true thoughts, Yui hurries home to avoid the dark clouds that were forming in the sky.

Yui didn't spot Ayato in the living room at the mansion, and neither was he in the kitchen or in her room. She guessed today's not the day after all, and decided it's best to just retire to bed after a hot shower. But as she returned to her room, there Ayato was, sitting at the edge of her bed.

"You're slow tonight, Chichinashi," he remarks with a grin, "I was getting all hungry."

Normally, Yui would give in, but tonight, she had her mind made up.

"Ayato, I've been thinking…"

"What now? I'm starving."

"Please don't get mad. But-," Yui bites her under lip, suddenly growing nervous, "I want to be left alone, at least for a while."

Ayato narrows his eyes, "The hell does that mean?"

"I just need some time alone to sort my feelings out, that's all. Right now, I still can't remember anything and…I just want to be on my own, to figure things out."

"You don't need to be alone, you just need to listen to me. And I say you're mine, Chichinashi." He grabs her by the arm, which hurt.

"Let go, please," her voice a whimper as she tries to pry away from him, "I'm tired of this."

"You can't get away that easily," Ayato growled.

He presses himself to her, slamming their lips together suddenly and kisses her in such a rough manner it shocks her. He'd let go of her arm, instead pulling her forward by the waist in attempt to get her to kiss back, all by brute force. Even when she tried to pry away, Ayato only slants his mouth angrily over hers.

But this was not at all what Yui want. Ayato didn't understand that when she says she feels she needs to be alone, it was because her feelings for him weren't strong enough to make her stay. Ayato doesn't understand, because Ayato didn't even know the person she was. She thinks he probably never did.

With as much strength as she could possibly muster, Yui pushes Ayato away by the chest and dashed out of the room. It didn't matter if she had to sleep in the cold living room on her own tonight, because so long Ayato was in her room, then she won't be!

Yui walked hurriedly along the dark corridor, heading for downstairs. Her arms were exposed and cold, for she had stupidly left her cardigan back in her room, but she supposes she'll just have to put up with it, at least till the next day. If things go well, she could even get the fireplace working _(although she'd never seen the Sakamakis use it before in her life so maybe it doesn't work.)_

Just as she was going down the longest corridor that led to the stairs, lightning flashed past, and that scared her more than anything.

Yui had been afraid of them for as long as she could remember. She hated lightning and she hated thunder and thunderstorms even more. Now, it's worse, for she's alone, in a place where her father isn't with her.

Tears begin to fall as Yui puts her hands over her ears, silently willing for it to stop, but it didn't. Every clap of thunder sent her crying even harder, as she crouches down in the middle of the empty corridor.

Just then, a hand pulls her up to her feet and she finds her face buried in someone's chest. There was no heartbeat, and no warmth, but just his familiar scent alone made her feel safer than anything…

"Ayato…"

Another crack of thunder shocked her, and she presses herself even closer into him. She realises that she must've been shaking uncontrollably, when Ayato envelops her in his arms, quietly trying to calm her down.

Even though the thunderstorm was just as bad as it had been moments ago, everything now felt different. Because he'd come, she didn't have to be afraid on her own.

"Idiot, stop crying already," Ayato's voice was low as he cupped her face, running both thumbs across her cheeks to wipe her tears away.

"I'm scared. Please don't go."

"I'm not leaving."

Finally, at long last, Yui looked up at him. After how she'd rejected him and the things she'd said, Ayato was here. She couldn't understand.

"How did you know? I've never told anyone I'm afraid of…of lightning."

"I know, because this has happened before."

Ayato continued, "Now, just focus on me. The storm doesn't matter. Only yours truly does."

Yet another bolt of lightning zips through the sky, and Yui flinches, but as she stares into his deep, green eyes, she is no longer as afraid. For now, only Ayato matters.

Their faces draw closer to each other and this time when their lips met, Ayato was kissing her in such a gentle manner that their fight earlier on felt unimaginable. She didn't even know he was capable of such kisses, but the only thing she knew now was that she didn't want him to stop.

It was just a feeling, but feelings are always usually right. And on this night, Yui wanted to be with no one but him.


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you to everyone who'd reviewed so far! I'm taking writing this fic easy, so the updates are rather irregular, but I'm having fun! If you follow, thank you!_

* * *

School and life went on as usual. Ayato had been giving more space to Yui, showing up mostly around meal times when he expects to have her blood, but other than that had remained accommodating.

During the evenings, they'll have school, and it was enjoyable for Yui because she liked class. Ayato and Yui still have all their classes together, which means many times Yui would also need to help Ayato with his work since he's always not listening. During break times, if Ayato was busy with other schoolmates or he preferred to take a nap, Yui would get some food, and then head to the rooftop, where Subaru likes to linger about. It was always comfortable hanging out with Subaru.

As they sat on the bench under the overhead roof, he told her things like how Ayato's childhood had been. It was not a pleasant one, for he despised his parents, did not get along well with Kanato or Laito, and was never genuinely loved. It made Yui's heart go out to him.

"I remember things about Cordelia, like how she never raised Ayato and the rest properly," Yui murmurs. Compared to them, she has had a much better childhood, where at least not only was she well provided for, but her father had played with her and given her proper care and concern. The triplets, especially Ayato who was always expected to deliver and be good at everything, must have been overly pressured when they were just kids.

"Yeah but well, it's in the past now. None of it matters anymore," Subaru says, as he remains seated next to her.

"It does. It helped me understand Ayato's character better."

"If you wanted to understand a person better, don't normal people just go on dates?"

"So…you're saying I should go on a date with Ayato?"

"How should I know? That stuff's up to you."

Yui had never really thought about it. But now that Subaru has mentioned it, it almost feels like she should've thought of on her own it way before.

Yui then smiles up at him, "I got it! You were helpful, Subaru, thank you!"

Subaru blushed almost immediately, and turned away at once to hide it.

"Shut up."

* * *

The recent rainy season had been bad, which meant that it poured rather often. The period also marks the beginning of mock exams, which Ayato utterly hates. He hated school and he hated exams even more. As if twenty years of studying isn't enough, now high school has to drag along. If not for that damn father of his, he would've quit long ago.

"Ayato, are you listening?" Yui's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "We still need to finish this so that we can go through the geography notes later."

Ayato was frustrated. Although studying with Yui isn't bad, because he can just copy her answers or make her do his work, he still didn't like the activity.

"I'm bored. I'm sick of this already."

"You can't, we need to hand it in first thing tomorrow. Let's just do it quickly and you can take a break later, okay?"

An idea came to his head. "Then, if I do finish this, do I get a reward?"

"A reward? Like what kind?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ayato gave her a grin, "Your blood."

Yui gulped, but to get Ayato moving, she realised for a while now that he needs incentives. If there weren't a specific goal in front, Ayato wouldn't even get started at all. Slowly but surely, she is understanding how he works.

"Okay. But you have to finish this within the next hour or we don't have a deal."

"Hmph. I've never heard of a prey that sets the rules for her master. But fine."

Yui watched as Ayato worked, eagerly looking up answers from the textbook and occasionally checking the clock. He also complains often, like how 'It's a pain that a great vampire like himself even needs to work for blood', but otherwise moves fast. Yui also silently notes how attractive Ayato is when he's concentrated and working…

"Oi, Chichinashi. What are you spacing out for?"

Yui immediately shook her head to snap out of it. She took a quick look at the time and realised the hour's almost up already.

"I'm done, now give me your blood," Ayato said.

"Wait! I have to check your work first!"

"No way, that wasn't part of the deal," Ayato retorts. Before Yui could so much as even flip through the work he's done, Ayato grabs her roughly by the waist and pulls her forward so that she's straddling him. It instantly causes her to blush.

"Ayato, what are you-," Yui opens her mouth to protest, but Ayato only pulls a side of her top down, revealing the smooth skin on her shoulder and neck area. His hands remained firm on her waist, as he leans forward to bite down on her shoulder.

Yui closes her eyes tight, but this sensation isn't one that she hates. She's already become so accustomed to it nowadays. But then she realises after a while that today, Ayato seemed to be drinking more than he usually does…

"Ayato…" she starts to protest, upon feeling him shift towards her neck. If he takes any more than he already did, she's going to faint really soon. She has to have him stop.

"If I'm not drinking any blood, then it's fine, is it?" Ayato says in a low voice.

Yui wonders what's going on for a second, and almost readies herself for a bite when she feels him shifting, but then she realises Ayato's only kissing the side of her neck. He isn't taking her blood.

"You like this, don't you?" He questions in between the kisses that are traveling upwards slowly, "Your face says it all."

Yui turns towards Ayato, eager to taste him on her lips, but Ayato only avoid it, chuckling as he goes for the side of her lips and face, but never allowing their lips to touch.

"You're always teasing me like this," Yui retorts, her hands balled up in fists on his shirt.

"But you like it. You are one big masochist after all."

"Ayato…"

He kisses her some more on the neck, watching the frustration show on her face and enjoying it, before he finally kisses her on the lips. He likes how she's nibbling eagerly on his bottom lip, how she's letting him dominate her mouth so easily and how she moans in a way that really turns him on. It still matters but it doesn't matter as much anymore that she can't remember what happened in the past, because he's going to be the one that takes over her entire life from now on. He'll make sure that she belongs to no one but him.

Every kiss, every time their lips meet, Yui can't help herself. She wants more and more, but beyond anything, Yui wants to fall in love with his person.

As their kisses became less fueled, Yui dares herself to ask.

"Ayato, should we go on a…"

It was unexpectedly embarrassing to be asking. She'd never really done this before.

"What is it, Chichinashi? Spit it out."

"Should we go on a…date?"

There, she said it. The more Ayato stared at her, not saying anything, the more she could feel her face grow hot. Then a grin broke out on his handsome face.

"Fine."

"Really?" Yui was surprised.

"Don't act so surprised now, you were the one who wanted it."

Yui gave a nod. "I just wanted to get to know you better, Ayato. That's all."

"Becoming interested in me now, eh?"

"What are you saying!" Yui blurts out, looking away from his face. "It just hurts…not being able to remember anything. But rather than pondering like this all the time, I want to do something."

Ayato felt a pang of something hit him in the chest. He didn't know if he felt pain, knowing that Yui still couldn't recall the past, or was it happiness, seeing Yui put in that amount of thought and effort into him. None of the sacrificial brides or girls from before could even match up to half of what Yui has done for him. It wasn't just her blood that he wanted; He wants all of her and this in turn somewhat scared him as well.

"Sure, Chichinashi. Let's go on that date then."

As a smile spreads across her face, Ayato could feel himself looking forward to this already.

* * *

The mock exams had no mercy on anyone and even for Yui, it had been a tough hurdle to get past. At this rate, she's going to have to buck up for her studies. But rather than herself, she's still more worried for Ayato, who doesn't seem to be sweating out over the papers as much as she is.

He's told her it was "easy", and she found it hard to believe what he said. Rather, she reckons she's going to have to get ready to deal with his temper, once Ayato gets his grades back and after Reiji reprimands him. It wasn't that she didn't have faith in Ayato, but his track record always proved differently.

In any case, it won't be a while later till they got their test results back. The rain hadn't been coming down as often nowadays, so Yui also figures it might be a good time for them to go on that date, since they both needed a break after all. She is delighted when Ayato agrees.

Silently, behind Ayato's back, she had also sniffed out from Subaru that Ayato is a fan of takoyaki (although Subaru learned it the hard way. He ever stole a couple of Ayato's precious octopus balls when his brother wasn't looking, and that had ended up disastrous).

Nevertheless, Yui had been quietly purchasing ingredients and looking up recipes and tutorial videos all week. She isn't too bad at cooking, so with confidence, Yui hoped for her idea of a surprise picnic basket (of takoyaki) to go without any problems.

"You are really putting effort in this huh?" Subaru said, as he observes her from a corner of the kitchen. Earlier on, Yui had told Ayato that she thinks a picnic date would be relaxing, and that if Ayato didn't mind, he could wait for her by the lake later and then she'll come around with some home-made food. Ayato had again agreed, and even threw in that they could watch the sunrise. It was kind of odd for vampires to want to watch sunrises, but Yui figures that Ayato must not hate it if he were to suggest it, so that went well.

"Yes, I've been getting ready all week. I hope I don't mess up." Yui answered.

"Mm," Subaru grunts, but otherwise continues to watch her. It's not like he had anything better to do at the moment either.

Yui whisked the ingredients together, all while getting the takoyaki pan heated up and all was well. It really didn't seem too hard to make takoyaki, and she just hoped that hers would taste delicious. The oil she'd put earlier on the pan began to smoke, and Yui knew it was ready for the batter to go in.

Everything went fine until she accidentally scaled herself on the pan, all while trying to drop the octopus pieces into the batter.

"Ouch!" she yelped, jumping back. It was really hot and it hurt!

"Where is it, let me see!" Subaru, who'd been quiet all this while, had sprung forward. With his body pressed against her back, he takes her hand to run it under tap water. Yui is aware of this, but her hand is really stinging.

"It still hurts. It's turning red already," Yui says, her voice soft.

"You really are an idiot. Watch where you hands go next time!" Subaru chides, still holding Yui's hand steady under the water.

"Is there any gel or something that I can put on it?"

"You're in a house of vampires. We self-heal, and we don't get sick. Why would we need something like gels for?"

It made sense, although now it isn't just a house of vampires, considering that Yui had been living with them for quite a while now, but Yui keeps her mouth shut.

"The batter's going to burn soon. I have to continue cooking…"

"Stop, you're going to burn yourself again like that." Subaru let out an audible 'tsk'. He steps away from her.

"I'll just do it."

Subaru seemed unhappy, but he still took over and it was queer watching him desperately trying to flip octopus balls. The takoyaki pan did make things a lot simpler, however. Yui remains in silent awe as she continues to keep her hand under the running water, occasionally instructing Subaru when he misses something.

"There, it's done." Subaru says, once he's gotten the last of the balls into the container.

"You're amazing, Subaru!" Yui praises. All she receives is another scowl from Subaru, although he didn't really seem angry.

"How's your hand?" he asks.

"Ah," Yui takes it out from under the water, but the moment she does, a dull heat begins rising again. She really burnt herself badly.

Subaru sighs, and then proceeds to tear a small corner of his shirt. He wraps it securely over her wound.

"Look, this place doesn't have any one of those first-aid kids you humans use, so this will have to do. You should've been more careful just now."

"But…it's your shirt, Subaru. Is this really okay?"

"The edges are already torn anyway, it doesn't matter. Your wound's more important, isn't it?"

Yui looks up at Subaru, who was standing right in front of her. Their eyes meet for a moment, but the moment Subaru catches himself staring, he looks away. Yui also shifts her eyes quickly, her heart racing all of a sudden.

"Enjoy your time with Ayato." Subaru says, before exiting the kitchen.

Yui watched him go, and then her eyes fell onto the container of piping hot takoyaki.

She realised she had forgotten to thank Subaru.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hi everyone! It's really nice to see people are enjoying the story so far, and I am intending to keep this as cute a fic as I can, while staying true to the characters' personalities. Prior to writing this, I've played the first three DiaLovers games and of course, read all the manga, watched the Anime and listened to its multiple drama CDs and songs, so I'm really a big fan of the series! What happens to Yui (or who she ends up with) at the end of this story is still uncertain, so let's see how it goes._

 _Let me know what you think and it'll be much appreciated! Thank you!_

* * *

Yui hasn't felt this nervous for quite a while now.

In all honesty, she spends enough time with Ayato everyday and they didn't really need to go out of their way for a date. They could stay at home or be in school and they can still talk about themselves. But Yui figured that in a different, more relaxed environment, she'd be able to better focus on Ayato and know if this is what she wants.

Being positive as usual, Yui took her nervousness as a sign of how much she values this, values Ayato. She did like him after all, even if she barely knew him. Now if only she could be sure about falling in love with him.

In the picnic basket, Yui had packed juice, sandwiches and of course, Ayato's favourite takoyaki, all homemade. She was glad that Subaru had been there earlier to help, and made a mental note to thank him properly later.

It was a short five-minute walk to the lake. Despite being rumoured as the 'Haunted house' at the end of the street, the Sakamaki mansion really isn't _that_ bad. The lake was near, the flowers never ceased to bloom beautifully in the garden and it was peaceful. It's not as horrible as it's made to sound.

The wind was light and although it was mostly dark all around, the moon provided a bit of brightness and it was enough for Yui to find her way.

It took no time at all for Yui to reach the lake. As usual, it was extremely quiet and the only sounds you could hear were the cicadas and the water, flowing along. Actually, the longer Yui stood there wondering where Ayato was, the more eerie it felt.

"Ayato…?" Yui called out.

There was no reply. Yui tried a second time and it was the same. But this was the most obvious, spacious spot by the lake, and any further down the sides, either way, it'll just be trees and bushes. Ayato couldn't be waiting deep inside when he knows.

Yui grew increasingly worried as the minutes ticked past. Maybe Ayato got caught up and he's late. The woods provided no comfort at all, and every rustling sound made by the leaves only succeeded in having goose pimples break out over her skin.

"Boo."

Yui jumped and let out a scream, dropping the basket in her shock. If not for the figure that'd caught it just in time, all of her food would've been ruined.

"You get scared easily, Chichinashi."

Yui instantly refocuses and realised that it'd been Ayato who'd scared her. Looking at the way he's grinning, seemingly pleased with himself, she realises that he had scared her on purpose!

"That's mean, Ayato! I was really scared!"

Ayato only shrugged it off, giving another laugh. "It was fun watching your face. What did you think there were, ghosts?"

"Anyway," he continues, "I'm tired of standing around. Let's sit."

Ayato led Yui further up front, where they sat down right by the lake. He was nonchalant when Yui was unpacking the basket, however, when he took a whiff of the air the moment the food was brought out, he swerved around excitedly.

"It'a takoyaki!" He says in surprise.

Yui smiles, saying, "I heard it might be something you like. I don't know how they are yet but I hope you'll like it."

Ayato was already eagerly grabbing at the toothpicks to pick one up and eat. A satisfied look appeared on his face.

"They're delicious!" he exclaimed excitedly, diving in for more. "How did you know I like them?"

"Well, I may have asked someone…I can't remember what you liked to eat but I wanted to-"

"Who?" Ayato asked, cutting into her sentence midway.

"Huh?"

"I said, who did you ask?"

Ayato didn't look pleased at all. As Yui's mind raced, wondering if she really should tell him it was Subaru or not, Ayato's eyes darted to her hand, the ones that were holding the sandwich to her mouth. He reached out and grabbed it, causing Yui to drop her food yelp out in pain.

"Wait, Ayato, it hurts-."

Ayato only bent forward to sniff at the cloth, which was the makeshift bandage that Yui had gotten from Subaru.

"Subaru," he hissed the name.

"Please listen to me," Yui begged, but then Ayato's grip on her wrist was tightening and it hurt. "I can explain but please let go off me-."

"You were with Subaru. Why were you with him?" he demanded angrily.

"Ayato, it really hurts. Please let go," Yui pleaded. Ayato not only didn't let go, but he tightened his grip even more, to a point where Yui felt that he might break her wrist.

She tried to explain hurriedly, "Subaru was just helping me with the cooking."

"He doesn't have any reason to be there. What did the both of you do behind my back? Say it now."

"We didn't do anything! He was just there to help me and-."

"Bullshit. What do you take me for, huh?"

Yui was tearing badly by now, but Ayato's eyes showed no mercy, which she came to realise quickly. He was misunderstanding everything and he wasn't even listening to her.

Just then, he let go off her. Yui instantly retracted her arm, clasping it close to her chest. She watched as Ayato got up, marching off without another word, leaving her all alone.

He didn't even eat half of the takoyaki she'd made for him.

* * *

It's been a few hours since Yui got back to the mansion. She hadn't run into Ayato, and truth be told, she would rather not. He had lashed his temper out on her, had left her all alone but most importantly, he didn't listen to her. The date had basically gone horribly.

As Yui emerged from kitchen after packing away all the leftover food, she could already feel her head throbbing. It was just as well that the weather had taken a turn for the worse outside, and it was now raining. Since there's no picnic date, there's no reason to worry about weather either.

"Yui."

Yui turned around upon hearing her name and saw that the voice belonged to Subaru.

Instantly, she felt terrible. After all the effort Subaru had gone through and helped her, everything turned out to be disaster. None of it had gone the way she hoped.

"Oi, are you…crying?"

Yui tried to wipe at her tears. She hadn't mean to cry again, especially not when Subaru was just standing in front of her.

Subaru didn't say anything, instead taking her quietly by the hand and leading her towards somewhere. They came into an unfamiliar room, one that had bare minimal furniture and a huge coffin case in the middle. It looked pleasant.

"This is my room. I thought it'll be better in case any of the others ran into us."

Yui gave a slight nod. She tried to master more energy, but could not.

"That bastard. He made you cry, didn't he?"

Yui felt Subaru raise a hand to wipe her tears away for her, but then he stopped midway all of a sudden.

"He even did this to you…"

He proceeded to lift Yui's injured hand, whose wrist has got blue-blacks that now looked even more glaring than her earlier burn. Ayato had unknowingly pressed onto her wound too, and hard.

Yui instinctively withdrew her hand, but the angry look that had now formed on Subaru's face still stayed.

"I'm fine," Yui tried to explain, "We just got into a fight and he grabbed me with a bit of force…it's just an accident."

"Don't take me for an idiot, how could that be an accident!" Subaru raised his voice, even hitting the chest of drawers at the side.

"It was a misunderstanding! I wanted to explain but Ayato refused to listen to me and we fought. In any case," Yui sighed, "I ruined things. I shouldn't have tried to keep anything from him. And although you even gave me a hand and helped me cook and bandage my wound, I made a mess of everything. I'm so sorry."

All this while Subaru was looking straight at her. Yui, who had poured in so much thought and effort into wanting to know Ayato, trying to recollect her memories along the way, didn't deserve this. Even if there was a misunderstanding, for any guy to make a girl cry like this, he certainly has an asshole for a brother.

Yui began to tear again, and immediately began to chide herself aloud while wiping at her tears, "I really didn't want anyone to see me crying like this. It's so embarrassing but I can't help it. I'm sor-."

Without warning, Subaru had pulled her forward into an embrace, which surprised the girl.

"Then I won't look. You can just cry as much as you want now."

Since coming into this mansion and then losing her memories, Yui never really had anyone else to lean on, until she got to know Subaru. Subaru, who could be violent and loud among his brothers, but who could also be a kind listening ear. He was always there when she needed a friend, and even now, when things have gone wrong, the one right next to her is none other than him.

In Subaru's arms, Yui felt safe enough to cry.

* * *

It's been two days and neither Ayato nor Yui have spoken to each other.

The next two weeks were also term study breaks, so none of them needed to go to school for lessons till exams came. It also means that there's more opportunity to slack off, which most of the Sakamaki brothers (except Reiji) took advantage of gladly. Yui also holes herself up in her room most of the time studying, and doesn't step out unless it was mealtime.

Ayato remained pissed ever since the picnic. He was upset at the way he acted, that he didn't listen to what she had to say, but above that, he was even more upset to know Yui and Subaru had been conversing. Doesn't Yui know her place, that she was his and his alone? The more Ayato thought, the angrier he got. He'd even confronted Subaru, who said there wasn't anything going on, but Ayato wasn't completely satisfied. Still, in his head, he foresaw that Yui would be the one to apologise to him first. That's why he had been waiting.

After two days had passed, Ayato only grew more impatient. He was sick of staying in his room and he was growing increasingly hungry as well.

 _That means I'll have to go over and find her…_

Seeing that he didn't have any better options, Ayato decided to leave his room. But just before he could step out, a knock sounded on his door.

"Uhm, Ayato, it's Yui…can I come in?"

Ayato smirked to himself quietly. He'd been waiting for this and the moment's finally come! He instantly wiped the triumphant smile off of his face and sat back down on his couch.

"What is it?" he replied rudely.

"I just want to talk, if that's okay."

Ayato waits for a few seconds, before replying, "Fine. Come in."

Yui first peeks into his room, opening the door bit by bit.

"What are you taking your time for over there? Get in," Ayato barked, and Yui lets herself in completely at once.

"Ayato, I…I'm really sorry. About what happened. But it really was a misunderstanding."

Ayato only glared at her.

"I want to know what you were doing with Subaru."

Yui swallowed, although she kept her gaze firmly on Ayato. "I hurt my hand while cooking and Subaru was there by coincidence. He helped me bandage my wound."

Ayato got up and came towards her, his face filled with suspicion.

"What wound?"

"I burned myself by accident. The house didn't have a first-aid kit, so Subaru bandaged it with a piece of his shirt."

"Let me see."

Ayato grabbed Yui's hand and he could see that there was indeed a burn wound. There were also the horrible finger marks that he'd caused by holding her wrist too tight, although it seemed to be healing.

"You should've called me when you burnt yourself. I'm the only person you can look towards, not him," he spat.

"I'm sorry. Subaru only happened to be around and he gave me a hand, that's all."

By now, they both knew of Ayato's possessiveness. Yui decided it might not be wise to address it at the moment and filed the thought for another day. She watched quietly as Ayato ran his thumb lightly over the marks.

"I'm sorry to have made you worry," Yui apologised.

"Does it hurt, Chichinashi?"

"Huh?"

"Your hand."

Yui shook her head. "I'm getting better so it's okay."

Ayato didn't really say anything and his expression was hard to read. Then, he moved forward suddenly, placed his mouth over her neck and bit down like he normally would. Yui stifled a yelp, enduring the pain as Ayato pulled her closer towards him.

Since he didn't have much to eat over the past few days, Ayato was famished. The moment Yui's blood hit his senses; it almost felt like he could drown in the feeling for all eternity. It was simply top-notch, the quality of her blood.

Yui made no sound either. She knew how hungry he must be and only closed her eyes, feeling the familiar sensation of blood leaving her body. It had become a given that Ayato fed from her.

As usual, Ayato knew his limits. She felt him finishing up, his tongue lapping at the bite marks.

"Delicious," he remarked.

Yui didn't say a word. She was glad they'd made up, but deep down, she honestly didn't know how else to feel. It was as if she was ignoring the problem and her feelings on purpose.

Ayato seemed to notice her unhappiness. He didn't say anything more, only moving to give a light kiss on her forehead.

He then kissed her temple, the side of her eyes, her nose and on the cheek. He kissed her carefully and softly, and finally, he kissed her on her lips.

 _At this rate, I'm going to fall right back into him…_

Ayato never apologised for how he hurt her. He never apologised for the terrible things he'd said or the tears he'd made her shed. But when he kisses her like this, she instantly goes right back to him. That was how weak she was.

Looking up at Ayato's perfect face, Yui only felt fear.

The fear that she'll never be able to stay away from a vampire who has set his eyes on her.


	6. Chapter 6

_Thank you all for the kind reviews! It was lovely reading them. I hope you'll all enjoy this chapter too!_

* * *

Time ticking. The sound of hurried scribbling. A certain anxiousness in the air. Yui gnawed at the head of her pen without realising what she was doing, but if she still doesn't get the answer down, she's going run out of time for the later sums.

The math paper was their last one, after nearly two grueling weeks of examinations. It was arguably also the toughest one, but Yui had worked hard on it and she was determined to at least do okay. After completing yet another sum, something crosses her mind and Yui steals a peek at the person seated next to her.

Ayato looked restless, which was the normality these several weeks. Yui had been persuading him to study, a notion which Ayato would always turn down, but so long she offered a bit of blood and guidance, Ayato would then change his mind…at least for a while.

 _What am I, it's like I'm his mother…and bait._

Yui erased the horrible thought that popped into her head. Whatever she had to do, be it to offer her blood or make a mountain-high stack of takoyaki, so long Ayato could pass the year, then it'll be fine. She just couldn't sit by and watch Ayato be told off by Reiji again for his bad grades.

The bell finally rang and the class representative collected all their papers. It was, at last, freedom for them!

"Ayato," Yui turned to a side, her hand patting on his shoulder to get his attention. The whole class was now reeling about in chitchat and it gradually became noisy. However, Ayato remained asleep on his desk, a frown still visible on his face.

When he didn't respond, Yui tapped him again, and he looked up at her irritably.

"What d'ya want, Chichinashi?"

"Well, how was the paper?"

"Who do you think yours truly is? Of course it went fine."

In all actuality, Ayato had skipped quite a few questions and he barely knew his formulas. The same could be said for the rest of all the other papers. He was annoyed at the questions for being set this tough, but he was also just as annoyed at himself. He could recognise some of the stuff from the work that Yui had asked him to do, and he did sort of want to score well since Yui had been nagging at him the past weeks. But when it came to the crucial moment, he could barely remember what was practiced.

Not that he's going to admit it to her anytime soon though.

Ayato was just about to tell Yui off some more when their homeroom teacher sauntered right in, and everyone had to get back to his or her seats.

"I know all of you have just finished your last paper, and you guys deserve a break. But as you know, exams are over and it's that time of the year again. I'm talking about the school cultural festival."

Yui's ears instantly perked up.

"We decided to announce it slightly earlier this year, which means that all of you can have a little extra time to plan for it. The whole school's involved and the rules are the same; we're going to appoint a event representative, then vote on what your class is going to put up on the big day."

The class instantly went abuzz, with students throwing about ideas on what they could do.

In truth, this is the first time Yui will be experiencing this, and she's excited. In the past, she'd always been home-schooled by her father, and public schools with their activities were something she'd never been through until now. In a way, it's also something she's grateful for since coming to the Sakamaki home.

She was spacing out, and hadn't even realised when her name was being called.

"…Then it's you, Komori."

"Huh?" Yui finally snapped back to reality.

"I said," repeated the teacher, "Since you weren't reluctant, the event representative for our class this year is you then, Komori."

Yui looked around at her classmate's faces, and some girls quickly turned their backs on her when she met their gaze, so it's assumable that they were the ones who nominated her. She'd never done anything like this before. Yui swallowed hard as she was summoned to the front.

It felt scary to be in front of everyone. Yui didn't know what to say, but she plucked up some courage and asked decidedly.

"So, uh, any ideas on what we can put up as a class this year?"

"How 'bout we sell something? That's pretty common," someone contributed.

Another girl piped up, "If it's common, why are you suggesting it? How about we do a play instead?"

"Or we could make a game?"

"Those are hard to do. And boring."

"Then," Yui cut in, "What about a themed café?"

It was something she'd only ever seen photos of on the Internet. But quite amazingly, the class took it really well and everyone thought it was a classic but good idea.

"Then Yui, what theme do you think we should do?"

It didn't take long at all for Yui to answer.

* * *

"You must be joking, right?" Ayato scolded.

He hasn't stopped scolding her ever since school ended. Even from inside the family limousine on the way home till when they're back in the mansion, Ayato had kept a permanent glare on Yui.

Laito, who'd taken the earlier ride home, greeted them in the living room.

"Now, now, Ayato, let's not be too harsh on Bitch-chan now~," he smiled. "What's this all about, hmm?"

"You ask her!" He yelled, taking a seat on the sofa and propping a leg up.

"I really didn't know everyone was going to be this keen…" Yui said to Laito. "It's about the cultural festival."

"Ahh~," Laito nodded, "My class is doing a play. I think it's Romeo and Juliet, but I've no interest so I might just skip it to have fun someplace else. What are Ayato and your class doing?"

Yui shifted uncomfortably.

"…A maid and butler café."

"My, that sounds fun, Bitch-chan! How cute!" Laito exclaimed, "Ayato is going to make a terrific maid!"

"Not like that!" Yui cut in quickly, "It's just going to be regular café! The boys are going to be butlers and the girls will be maids."

"Eh~, then Bitch-chan is going to be in a maid costume?"

"Yes. I've never done this before though, so I'm a little nervous."

"Don't worry, Bitch-chan," Laito said beaming, "If you have your skirt _reallyyy_ short, I'll make sure to drop by many times!"

Ayato instantly threw Laito a dirty look. "You better stay the heck away, you pervert!"

"Oh, I'm looking forward to seeing my brother in a butler suit too, y'know. Although not as much as I'll like to see Bitch-chan in a maid outfit."

"No fucking way is yours truly going to be strutting around in some stupid suit serving people!"

"Once you get used to it, maybe you'll like it~"

 _No_ , Ayato thought to himself as the idea of murdering Laito crossed his mind concurrently, _I will not like this at all._

* * *

"So that's our plan for the class," Yui said, while sipping on her cranberry juice _(she's still very much into the drink, for no particular reason.)_

She was on the rooftop with Subaru again, going through their usual break routine. Ayato had gone off to play basketball with some of their classmates, so Yui was again left to her own devices. It was only recently did she learn that Ayato liked basketball. Every now and then, she would learn something new about him that she's quick to carve to memory.

On such days when Ayato is busy, Yui would come look for Subaru. Today, they talk about the cultural festival.

"Then what's your class going to do?" Yui asked.

"A haunted house," replied Subaru. He was a level below Yui and Ayato.

"That sounds fun! What's your role?"

Subaru hesitated for a while, but soon responded.

"A vampire."

"Ah," Yui looked amused, "That's…fitting."

"Hey, it's not like I wanted it," Subaru said irritably in a fluster, "All our roles were picked at random. I wasn't even given a choice."

Yui giggled. "Then I guess you can just be yourself. I'm sure it'll be fun."

"It's not fun at all! Who gives a shit about this anyway!" he raised his voice.

"Ah, sorry…" Yui quickly apologised.

Subaru looked away, not wanting to have any eye contact with the girl. He wasn't really mad, no, even if Yui might probably think otherwise. It was just that lately, ever since a month or so ago, just being alone with the girl would cause him to feel discomposed.

It's never been like this before, but nowadays, be it whether she's smiling happily or crying due to sadness, or even so much so as sit down like this next to him, he'd feel exceptionally uneasy, something he couldn't even explain himself.

Subaru never had one of those 'cliques' like everybody else, nor had he ever wanted to stick around with anyone, that's why he chose to be alone on the rooftop where he didn't have to deal with people (actually, he just wants to be alone forever). When Yui came, he thought it'd be fine since it's just one person and they technically live together anyway.

But now, he'll be looking forward to her dropping by, where he could hear her stories. It only gets worse when she's laughing or smiling at him the way she does so very often. Times like this just gets him all irritated.

The bell ringing shook him out of his train of thought. He watches as Yui gets up to go.

"Have a good day in class, Subaru! I'll see you back home."

He didn't bother to respond, so Yui simply turns to go. As she does, Subaru's eyes follow her figure.

When he catches himself, he shakes his head. Maybe what he needs is a vacation.

* * *

Being event representative wasn't as easy as Yui hoped it would be. The cultural festival would be taking place in the first week of November, and while it seemed like there was quite a bit of time at first, there really isn't.

Not only was she in charge of her class, she also had to attend meetings with the other student representatives from across all levels and classes to discuss and co-ordinate things. It really wore her out to so involved, even if she had some other classmates to rely on. But she kept telling herself; _it's for the sake of everyone and to create memories_. She thinks she should be okay.

Ayato was mostly no help at all. He claims he hated the suit and tie idea anyway in the first place, so he's never really around.

What was worse was that Yui also had to alter many of her classmates' outfits, on top of a list of other things. She didn't hate sewing and it can be fun sometimes, but when it's a class of 30 people, it isn't that fun anymore.

For the third day in a row, Yui stays up to alter her classmates' outfits.

"Chichinashi, I'm thirsty now," Ayato had come to her room, standing beside her.

"Can you give me a little while more? I have to finish this," Yui answered, not looking up.

Times like this really annoyed Ayato. He's been trying to be as understanding as he could possibly be, but not only was he was hungry; he was also pissed at how she'd been ignoring him. Yui was just all buried in doing things for the festival. This situation was unheard of.

"Do it later," he demanded.

"I…I can't," Yui's replies came slowly, as she's concentrated, "I have to finish this. Later, okay?"

It was the last straw. Ayato snatched the garment and scissors out of Yui's hands, against her protesting, and tossed it aside.

"Ayato! I really need to finish this!"

"Feed me first."

While Yui stood there feeling troubled, Ayato's eyes lain on the scissors he's just threw aside, and smirked. He picked it up, eyes gazing upon its metal blades.

"Since you like working the scissors so much, let's try this on for size."

He loved it, seeing the fear rise in her face, but in his opinion, Yui certainly deserved a lesson for ignoring him. He slides blunt side of the blades down the side of her neck slowly, watching her terrified expression and enjoying it.

"It's been quite a while since I've seen that look," he remarks, "I love it."

Yui only holds her breath in fear, as he continues taunting her, cool blades sliding across her throat slowly…

"So what do you think I should do now? A slip of my hand and this could leave an ugly mark, you know," he chuckles.

"Please don't…" Yui replies timidly.

"Then you know what you must do, right?"

Reluctantly, Yui makes a move to reveal a side of her shoulder, exposing the pale skin. Ayato looks down at her with a smirk.

He makes a swift move, dropping the scissors to the ground and burying his fangs on her neck area. Yui cries out, feeling teeth bury itself deep in her flesh and the blood spilling out. He was being more violent than usual.

Tiny beads of tears form in her eyes as Ayato sucked on, his tongue running itself over her wound hurriedly, as if to lap up every single drop. Yui begins to feel slightly dizzy, and had to instinctively cling onto Ayato for support. In turn, Ayato wraps his arms around her.

The pain she felt earlier got less and less, and Yui stopped tearing as well. Now, it feels just like any other day, when Ayato draws blood from her.

Midway, Ayato pauses to scoop Yui up in his arms to carry her to bed. Their eyes meet and the contact doesn't break till he lays Yui on bed. Then he goes back to sucking her blood.

"Ayato…" Yui whimpers. Ayato only curls a hand loosely around her throat, arching her head back.

"Yui…" Ayato breathed. When he eventually finishes, he looks up to Yui's face, which is flushed. Her lips were slightly parted, a lovely pink and he can't resist.

Ayato doesn't hesitate and dives to claim her lips with his own. He kisses her intensely, and Yui closed her eyes, trying to do the same in order to match up to him. As he sucked on her lips, Yui could feel one of his hands roaming about, going upwards into her blouse. It pans over her stomach, then up to her chest, brushing against one of her breasts. This only makes her feel embarrassed.

Ayato kept kissing her, but midway, he realises she's no longer opening her mouth to give him better access, and their kisses were slowing down too quickly. He opens his eyes as he pulls away, and only then understands that Yui had been dozing off!

"Oi, Chichinashi, wake up!" he demanded.

The sudden outburst had Yui struggling to peel her eyes open, but it only lasted a second before she completely dozed off.

Ayato could only stare at her in discontent. After all, who on earth would fall asleep in the middle of a make-out session? But then he lets out a small sigh upon realising that she really isn't about to wake up anytime soon. Anyway, for the past week, Yui had been working harder than anyone in class and only just, she'd also given him her blood. She's surely exhausted.

Quietly, Ayato switches off the lights and pulls the sheets over them. He drapes a hand over her to pull her warm body closer to his and for a short while, observes her sleeping face.

Tiredness envelops him soon after, and Ayato caves in to his own exhaustion. He fell asleep, with Yui still in his arms.


	7. Chapter 7

_I'm really happy to see how much some really enjoyed the last chapter! What's most interesting for me is to see everyone's take on the characters in this fic (especially Ayato / Subaru), but I love getting reviews and I read every single one of them, and so I'll like to thank everyone for the encouragement and enthusiasm!_

 _Have fun reading!_

* * *

It was another three days to the festival. Event representatives from all the classes really have it tough; they weren't only managing their own class, but also had to work with the teachers to plan, manage and decorate the school compound.

For the past many days, Yui had been staying back to keep things running with her fellow schoolmates. She had no idea that it was going to be this exhausting, but then again, it feels rather fulfilling at the same time.

Yui was assigned the Year 1's classrooms area, to double check on every student's roles and that things are running smoothly without any problems. As she checked in on each class, she also eventually came to Subaru's class.

He seemed genuinely surprised to see her, when she appeared during set-up.

"Hello," she greeted the class' student monitor, "I hope things are going well."

Subaru cut in before his classmate could even reply Yui, "Wait, what are you here for?"

"Sakamaki, you're speaking up! That's new," the male classmate replied. He only earned himself a look from Subaru.

"Oh, you're here, Subaru! I think I forgot to mention to you," Yui answered, "I'm my class' event representative. But we all have to double up with extra duties outside class so I'm supposed to check on the first years."

"Oh."

"I'll need the full class register and festival roles, please," Yui turned her attention back to other boy.

Subaru quietly goes back to his desk and starts painting the decorations like he was supposed to.

"I thought you didn't want to do those," said the classmate who sat beside him.

Subaru only keeps mum. Of course he had to do something when Yui's here. He couldn't let her see that he'd been slacking around.

* * *

The day of the festival rolled about quickly. It was the time to really enjoy and let loose, at least before the dreaded exam results are officially released. A lot was happening for the festival, and especially since many celebrities or upcoming talents were schooling here, there will also be plenty of performances to look forward to. An hour before the festival even starts; people from the public or other schools had already gathered around outside.

For Yui and Ayato's class, they were doing a themed maid and butler café. It was a classic concept, but not any less popular than the other classes across the levels. The classroom was wonderfully decorated to mimic a homey environment, and dishes were mainly Japanese cuisine favourites. _(Yui also managed to throw takoyaki into the menu, so Ayato would be more inclined to stick around and not skip out.)_

The boys all went to change first, while the girls were finishing up with the last minute food preparations.

"Hey, Yui," one of the girls in charge of the drinks station called out to her.

"What is it?" Yui said curiously.

"Are you and Sakamaki dating?"

The question caught Yui off guard, and she nearly drops the cutlery that she'd been holding.

She didn't know what was the best answer to give. They may stay under the same roof and of course, they make out a lot (not that anyone else needs to know) and they spend a fair amount of time with each other everyday, but Ayato never asked her officially if she'd be his girlfriend. She's also shy, so she never asked.

And so for now, she has no idea what their status is really.

"I don't know, I don't think so…" Yui says softly.

"Eh, so it's complicated, is it? But you always call each other by your first names, and you look kinda close, so I think many people assumed."

"Really?"

"Of course! All the Sakamaki brothers are good-looking, but none of them ever really seem to date girls…well, besides for that Sakamaki Laito from the class next door."

"I guess."

"Then, do you like him? As in, in that way."

Yui blushes furiously, but eventually only shrugs. She really didn't know her true feelings. Her classmate appears to be a little disappointed, but upon getting called, she stops interrogating Yui.

Just then, Yui feels a tap on her shoulder and she swerves around. There stood Ayato, all dressed up in a proper suit, looking incredibly handsome from head to toe.

The only thing that stood out like a sore thumb was the way he wore his necktie. She usually lets it slide, seeing how he seemed so used to having it slung loosely around his neck, but this won't do for the festival. Yui begins tugging at it, despite Ayato's loud protests.

"Oi, what are you doing, Chichinashi?"

"You have to tie it the right way, just like everybody else!" Yui says, directing her gaze at the rest of their male classmates for a moment to prove her point.

"Leave it, I like it this way," he snaps.

Yui gives him an angry look, which Ayato only gladly returns. Then she asks.

"Could it be…that you don't know how to tie a necktie properly?"

Ayato instantly looks uncomfortable and clearly annoyed.

"That's none of your business."

"I'm afraid it is. You can't look like that for the festival, Ayato."

She takes the tie, hooks the cloth expertly over the boy's neck and ties it like a pro. Actually, she'd learned it from her father since she was a young girl, and then took over to helping her father do his neckties whenever she could.

"There, it's done," Yui beams happily.

Ayato was baffled, but it only lasted a second before he went back to scolding her.

"I don't need your help, I knew how to do that."

"Uh-huh," Yui nods, feeling somewhat triumphant.

"Shouldn't you be getting dressed now anyway? All the girls have gone," Ayato reminds her, "Or…"

He pulls her to him by the arm, and then whispers in her ear, "Do you want yours truly to help you change instead?"

Yui immediately tears herself away from Ayato, picking up her costume.

"No, thank you!"

* * *

Ayato didn't get to see Yui in her costume before he was summoned to do his job as a butler. It irritated him, but the moment he saw some pretty girls with huge racks sauntering into their class café, it does make things better. There are perks indeed when you go to a school that's overflowing with celebs, he guesses.

On the other hand, Yui returns back to class late, because on the way to change, she ran into a teacher who needed some help with packing some pamphlets. The class café had already gone into full swing by the time she made it back, but from the looks of it, its reception is pretty good.

She was honestly glad for that, until she saw how some of the female visitors were fawning over Ayato. It seems that he doesn't hate their attention on him either.

 _Of course. He's good-looking and confident. Which girl wouldn't be interested?_

Yui swallowed and chose to look away instead. Even though she'd just let her classmate know, that she was still unsure about her feelings for Ayato, she really disliked seeing him talk to any other girl, especially in such a chummy way. It really doesn't help that those girls were so much prettier than her…and bustier too.

"We need to get the new customers at the door!" A classmate's voice snaps Yui back to reality.

"I'll do it!"

Yui offered to step up next, since she was raring to go anyway. They were two guys, and from their uniform, they seem to be from that pretty prestigious high school that's not too far from here.

"Welcome, master! Let me show you your seats," Yui recites, going through the motion smoothly. She brings them to a table by the window.

"It's our first time here. A high school with only night classes is pretty unusual, so we thought we'll check this out," says one of them.

"And we never thought we'll run into a girl as cute as you," says the other, the pair of them running their eyes over her. It made her feel instantly uncomfortable.

Yui took their orders politely anyway, and silently hoped for them to not act this way later, but she wasn't in luck. They made the same sort of comments when she went to serve them their food.

"Please enjoy your food, master."

"Hey, aren't there feeding services for us masters or something?" one snickered.

His other friend only laughed, before knocking his cutlery over. Yui could swear it was on purpose, but she had to bend down to get it.

"That's quite a nice view," he then commented, and Yui instantly yelps, standing straight up. She had no idea they'd been trying to peak underneath her skirt! It has her feeling perplexed. These guys were really putting her on the spot since earlier and she didn't know what to do.

 _Maybe I should call Ayato for help…_

But Yui didn't even have to turn around, because out of nowhere, Ayato appeared right beside her. She didn't even have to look at his face to know that it was him.

"I'll scram if I were you assholes," he barks, "Before I hand you guys a knuckle sandwich instead."

The troublemakers immediately exchanged looks, glared at Ayato once, before getting off their seats to go, murmuring something about not being that hungry for the food anyway. Only when Yui saw them leave completely did she manage to relax.

"Th- thank you, Ayato…" she quickly says.

Ayato furrows his brows, before grabbing her by the hand forcefully.

"We're taking a break, be back later," he says to a classmate nearby, before dragging Yui out of the classroom, faster than she could even think to protest.

They zip through the corridor, where it was still bustling with activity coming from each class. Yui even spotted Laito and Kanato's class going on with their Romeo and Juliet drama skit, but it was just a blur because Ayato was cutting through the crowd fast.

"Ouch, my wrist…" Yui pleads, which Ayato only conveniently ignores. He doesn't stop till they got to the ground floor and outside to a quieter side of the school compound.

Yui watches as Ayato removes his blazer and tosses it into her arms.

"What's this for?" she asks in surprise.

"Tie it around your waist. Now," he orders.

"But, why?"

"Your skirt is too short, and no one else has the permission to look underneath it unless it's me. Also…"

He takes a step closer to her and rubs at her face with the sleeve of his shirt. It takes Yui by surprise.

"Who said you could put on make-up, Chichinashi? This is exactly why those dumb guys were leering at you!"

Yui looks up at Ayato's face, seeing nothing but his usual angry expression, except now it's also laced with concern. A concern that doesn't belong to any one of those pretty girls she saw earlier, just her. Somehow, the realisation makes her feel warm inside.

Yui obediently nods, tying the sleeves of the blazer around her waist so it now acted like a makeshift cover that go past the length of her skirt.

"Do I look okay?" she asked.

When Yui doesn't get an immediate reply, she then looks up, catching Ayato staring at her outfit.

"…Is it that I look weird in this?" she asks in a fluster, "I guess I really don't suit costumes like these after all, huh."

Ayato, for the first time in the day, was seeing Yui properly in her maid outfit. All the girls in their class had on the exact same outfit; Dark brown with ruffled sleeves and skirt, and a white satin apron and ribbon bow tie to boot. Her golden locks contrasted well against the colour of the outfit.

 _Damn, she looks cute._

"Ayato?" Yui cocks her head to a side.

Ayato snaps back to reality. Looking down upon her, he then takes a step forward, tilting her chin up with his hand. The next thing Yui realises was that Ayato's lips were upon hers, and he was running his tongue across her lips...

Her face as red as beetroot, Yui breaks the kiss almost immediately. "What do you think you're doing? We're still in school!" her voice a harsh whisper.

"You still have some of that lipstick on. I don't like it."

"I had to put some on for the sake of the café," Yui started to protest, but when she realised just how unhappy Ayato looked, she stopped.

"But if you don't like it, I suppose I won't put it on anymore…"

Ayato crosses his arms, grunting once in approval. It's not that he didn't like Yui putting on make-up or wearing skimpier clothes. Of course he likes it. But if she had to look cuter, then it can only be reserved for him and not anyone else.

At a farther distance, there came the sound of some students and staff setting up a display near the courtyard. It caught both their attention.

"What's that all about?" Ayato asked.

"Ah, it's for the fireworks display later on. There will be bonfire party too. I think a lot of students are looking forward to it."

Ayato didn't remember getting the memo, but bonfires and fireworks do sound exciting.

"Say, should we join the party thing later then? The two of us."

Yui gave it a thought. "But I can't. I have to pack up and I need to do a check around the classrooms…" she replied disappointingly.

"But…" she continued, "I think I'll be done in time to catch the fireworks."

"I'll see you later at the courtyard then," Ayato grinned, "Don't you dare keep me waiting, Chichinashi."

Yui watched as Ayato turned to go. She took a glance down at his blazer, which is still tied firmly around her waist, and gave a small smile. It probably clashes a bit with her outfit but she doesn't mind. The way he looks out for her, his possessiveness, were qualities that she's slowly embracing. She can't wait to be watching fireworks with Ayato already for the first time.

From the open classroom corridors far away, Subaru catches sight of her. He thinks to himself silently, as he notices the smile tugging at the edge of her lips.

"Sakamaki!" He hears one of his female classmates calling. It broke his concentration.

"What?"

"I've been calling you for the fourth time now. Break's over, it's your turn to go act as the vampire."

Subaru turned back to see if Yui were still there, but it looks like she's already gone off. Oh well. Maybe he could catch her later. And just maybe, if she might be free, he could ask if she wants to watch the fireworks with him too.


	8. Chapter 8

_I'm actually a huge AyaYui fan. But there's always that soft spot for Subaru somewhere..._

 _Anyway, it'll take a while for my next chapter to be up, since I'm heading to Tokyo this month. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews as usual!_

* * *

"Thank you, Master, and please come visit again soon!"

Yui bowed as she said goodbye to the customers, who were really mostly students near her age from around here. The café was actually performing quite well. Looking around, it feels like everyone's having fun. There were rock-paper-scissors matches, board games, and even photography with the maids and butlers going on. Things were running smoothly.

As Yui cleared the table of the couple that just left, she noticed from a side that Ayato was snapping Polaroid photos with a girl. Polaroid photography were one of the 'extra services' they offered, so if anyone was willing to spare a coupon, they get a free photo with any maid or butler of their choice.

Until now, Ayato had been really popular, if not the most popular butler around in class. The rules were quite simple; While no customer's allowed to pick the maid or butler who serves you, anyone can ask for a photo with any maid or butler. A good 4 hours have passed since the cultural festival started, and it doesn't seem like Ayato's popularity is going to drop any time soon.

The petite girl next to Ayato stood beside him shyly, posing with a twist. In return, Ayato smiled widely into the camera. With a snap, the photo came emerging from the camera.

As they waited for the print to develop, Yui noticed how the girl tried her best to make small talk with Ayato. She couldn't hear their exact conversation from a distance, but whatever he replied made the girl quite happy. She watched as Ayato scribbled one of those quick thank you messages on the photo, before sending her on her way. He even waved.

 _And to think a few days ago, he wasn't even keen to do this. Meanwhile, I've not even had one person want to take a photo with me…_

Yui bit her bottom lip as she wiped down the table. When she got around to the back to rinse the cloth, there she saw Ayato.

"How am I doing, Chichinashi?" he grinned, "I'm doing pretty good, aren't I?"

Yui gives a nod, although she still isn't able to shake off the discomfort she is feeling.

"I'm a bit surprised but you're doing really good today, Ayato."

"Of course! If I gotta do something, I'll always be the best!"

"Mm."

It didn't slip him by that something was a little off with Yui. And whatever it was, he intended to find out.

"What's wrong, Chichinashi?"

"Huh?"

"What are you thinking of? Say it now."

She guessed whatever it was was just jealousy, although she had no right to be. The café was her idea in the first place, and she had egged Ayato to do this, to be part of the class activity. Now, to be jealous of him taking photos with random girls…it wasn't necessary at all.

"I think I'm just a bit tired, but it's really okay." She lied through her teeth.

Ayato didn't look like he completely bought it, but then he heard his name being called. Turning back to Yui, he asked her to go get a break.

"But I can't, it's not even my break time yet."

"This place will be fine even with one less person. Anyway, it's not like you're always getting called to take photos, not like the great me."

Yui stared at him, mouth agape, although what he said was sort of true. If it were a competition, she wasn't sure she'd quite make it to the top of the list of maids.

"I don't know, Ayato…"

Frustrated at how slow she was being, Ayato grabbed her by the wrist to lead her to the door.

"Don't you dare forget the fireworks later!" he uttered, before pushing her out of class. There, Yui finds herself standing in the middle of the bustling corridor. As it should be, the festival was going on smoothly.

* * *

On Subaru's end, his job as vampire was fairly simple. All he had to do was stand at the end of his lane, and if anyone comes up, he just has to show himself, 'bare his fangs' and then let them through so they may continue on. In his opinion, it was pretty fucking stupid.

His class representative also tasked him beforehand to get some 'vampire fangs from the party store', and he even got a bit of money to do so. Needless to say, that wasn't necessary at all. He recalled how amazed the guy looked when all he had to do was pull back a side of his lips to reveal actual fangs. From that, he even earned some praise from his class representative.

On a side note, he kept the money.

Subaru was literally counting down the minutes he has left till his shift here ends. Then, it's over and he doesn't have to stick around anymore if he doesn't want to. He could hardly wait.

At a farther distance, he noticed someone heading down his lane, which snapped him out of his thoughts. The moment the girl came really close; he stepped out from behind her, bent lower next to her face and bared his fangs. The girl let out a short scream and bumps into him as she turned around. She practically stuck her elbow into his ribs.

It takes a moment, but she seemed to recognize him. "Su-Subaru?"

Subaru was surprised to learn that it was Yui. What was she doing in the haunted house?

"You," was all he said in acknowledgement.

Meanwhile, although Yui could barely make out his face in the dark, but the moment she heard his voice, it confirmed whom she thought it was. It perked her up to see that it was Subaru here.

But upon reminding herself that she isn't yet done with the haunted house, Yui stops herself short. "Ah- I think I should be going now."

Subaru quickly quips, "I get off in about 5 minutes." He had no idea why he did that, but silently, he thought if Yui was alone and had the free time, they could maybe spend it together.

"OK," she replied cheerily. "I'll be outside."

5 minutes later, Subaru emerges hurriedly from the classroom, minus the cape and all. He spots Yui at the class opposite, staring at some of the handmade accessories they had to sell. She was holding a pretty pink brooch in her hand, seemingly quite fascinated.

"Yui," he called.

"Subaru!" Yui turned around to beam at him. "You're here."

The girls from the opposite class seemed more amazed looking at them than Yui had been when she was staring at the brooch, one of them even going red in the face, and when Subaru noticed, he immediately returned their looks with a scowl. It caused them to look away. Thankfully, Yui had her back turned and didn't see.

He instinctively grabbed her by her arm and led her away quite suddenly, before Yui could say anything. They got to an emptier side of the corridor.

"Don't you have a café to run?" he asked.

"I was told to go take a break. That's why I'm just checking some of the classes out."

"Oh."

"Are you done with yours?" Yui asked.

"Yeah, that just now was my final shift."

Yui let out a giggle. "You make a pretty convincing vampire."

Subaru recalled his role from before. "You didn't sound as scared as some of the others."

"Let's just say, well, maybe I'm starting to get used to being around vampires." She smiles.

Whether that made sense or was valid or not didn't quite get into his head, not as much as him watching her light expressions. It also doesn't slip by him that Yui looked extremely cute in a maid outfit up-close.

"Well," Subaru asks nonchalantly, sticking his hands deep into his pockets, "Where to next?"

"I'm not done with most of the stalls. If you don't mind, maybe we could walk around?"

Subaru nodded, and for the next hour, that was their agenda. Since Subaru was in the first year, and this is also Yui's first time attending a school cultural festival, it was something new for both of them. From the food stalls, to the live performances, to game stalls, it was easy for them to hang out with each other. They talked about all kinds of things pertaining to the day, like what they liked and disliked about school, which stalls were more interesting and how their day working for the festival had been. And despite rejecting a few offers at the start, Subaru eventually warmed up to the festival, and ended up trying a lot of food.

"I thought you didn't want that just now," Yui said in between bites. They were eating Taiyaki, a fish-shaped cake. Initially, Subaru had rejected it, but the moment he saw the satisfaction on Yui's face as she ate it, he decided to give it a try.

"I don't get why it's in the shape of a fish," he commented flatly.

Yui ponders for a while, but comes up empty.

"I don't know either. Why _is it_ shaped like a fish?"

Subaru wasn't thinking about the answer at all. He was silently observing Yui from a side, as they weave through the sea of people, seeing at how she's pulling this face of pure bliss as she savours her food. Her other hand was empty, and it brushed against his unintentionally.

 _How would she react if I took her hand? Would she be okay?_

He kept wondering. Yui's hands had looked really soft, like she had the finest blood running beneath that smooth, supple skin.

 _If I could, when would be a good opportunity to hold her hand? How much strength should I use? What sort of expression should I show?_

When Yui says next that she has to go back to her class already to clean up, Subaru fights to hide his slight disappointment, but could only watch the girl take off in a hurry. He'd missed his chance. All of a sudden, Subaru found himself on his own again.

With the stalls gradually closing and performances all wrapped up, some students were also already leaving school, but most stayed back to hang around the bonfire or wait for the fireworks. Many students were eager to make the most of it. Subaru, with a hand still holding onto a bunch of packed snacks, slowly made his way back to class.

Expectedly, the haunted house was already torn down. Their things were all over the place and the tables and chairs were messily arranged. No one was in sight. Subaru dropped his things on a table, and went by the window to observe the bonfire outside. In the end, he never got the guts to ask Yui about the fireworks.

He was silent, till he heard the sounds of someone's footsteps coming from the corridor, drawing closer. It was light, a little hurried, and probably belongs to a girl.

At first, Subaru assumed it to be a student passing by. But then he realised the steps stopped right outside his class.

 _Could it be…?_

Subaru turned around a little too eagerly, locking eyes with the girl standing at the door. But it was just that one girl from the opposite class, the one who had blushed profusely while selling her class' handmade accessories earlier.

"Subaru? I'm Ami, from the class next door," the girl squeaked. "I…I have something to tell you!"

* * *

When Yui got back to class, there were only a small handful of girls left, cleaning up. Everyone else had already gone, and most of the things were already packed up.

"Yui! We were wondering where you'd gone!"

When Yui began to apologise, her classmates only laughed and then went on to reassure her.

"You've already been doing so much for us over the festival! We don't mind at all that you'd gone to have some fun. You deserve it after all!"

Yui looked up at the faces of her kind female classmates, feeling blessed that despite all the pressure she had had to endure, most of everything had ran smoothly. It was all worth it after all.

Remembering something she must do, Yui scrambles to change out of her outfit, grab her things and go. She has something to do first before meeting Ayato to watch the fireworks, and if she doesn't hurry, she won't be able to make it in time.

Yui zips through the hallways towards the first year classrooms and comes to Subaru's classroom. She was just about to head in when she saw two figures, and she instantly stops to press her back against the wall outside. She's not sure if she's right, but…could this be…

Yui couldn't hear much, just a bit of mumbling coming from Subaru. She didn't mean to eavesdrop, but then she heard.

"I've liked you for a long time now, ever since the start of the year," said the girl.

 _It's a confession!_ Yui clasps a hand to her mouth.

"I know you always prefer to be on your own, but I really like cool guys like you and I can't notice anyone else when you're around. I…I've been waiting for today to confess, for a really long time now, and…I'll be happy if you could give me a chance. I'll wait for your reply."

Subaru didn't say a word, only nodding once silently, so the girl then turned to go. Incidentally, she bumps into Yui, who was just standing outside.

"I, uh, came to pass something to Subaru…" Yui opened her mouth to say, but the girl, who was completely red in the face didn't even make eye contact, before rushing off in the opposite direction.

Yui enters the classroom, surprising Subaru.

"Yui! What are you doing here?" he asked.

"That just now…it was a confession, isn't it? I didn't mean to, but I overheard. Sorry."

"It's fine," Subaru turned away, "I'm going to reject her anyway."

Yui was taken aback. "But why? You didn't even give her a chance!"

"I don't know her at all."

"You could try. She seems like a nice person, and it probably took her a lot of courage to say those words to you. Why don't you just give it a chance?"

"Because…" Subaru turned to look away, feeling frustration grow from within him. It's obvious that Yui would never get it.

"Just, never mind!" He shouted.

Yui stopped speaking, and an odd silence hung in the air till Subaru broke it quickly (before he could live to regret not doing so).

"Look, I-I'm sorry, okay. I didn't mean to yell."

Yui shook her head, looking up at him. "I'm fine, really. I wasn't in any position to comment."

"What are you doing here anyway?"

Yui suddenly remembered again, and took the contents out from the paper bag she'd been holding onto all along. There was a prettily wrapped gift, and a small cake. Yui sticks a single candle onto the cake, lights it quickly with a spare lighter she borrowed from a friend, all while Subaru watched in bewilderment.

"What's this for?" he asked.

He watches as a small smile spread across her face, as she holds the cake up before him.

"Happy birthday, Subaru!"

Subaru was genuinely surprised, and even more so puzzled. "How did you know it was my birthday today?"

Yui answered, "Today's the 4th of November, isn't it? I only got to know about it when I collected your class' register a few days ago. I didn't really have the spare time to bake so I could only buy you something, and I'm also a few hours late but…"

She continued. "…But thank you for being my friend and for everything else. Happy Birthday."

Subaru watched on, until Yui reminded him that if he doesn't blow the candle out soon, the wax is going to get all over the cake, so he did so hurriedly. Yui then presented him his gift, but told him he could open it later.

"Ah!" Yui exclaims suddenly. "You forgot to make a wish, Subaru!"

"What?"

"A wish, a birthday wish! Usually people do that before blowing out the candle, but it kept melting and I forgot to remind you…"

"Then just leave it," Subaru said.

"We can't," Yui replied insistently, "Just, close your eyes and make a wish!"

Subaru was annoyed but Yui seemed like she wouldn't let it go until he made his wish, so Subaru shut his eyes reluctantly. After a short while, he opened them up, his facial expression unchanging.

"Are you done?" Yui asked.

Subaru grunts once, although silently, he's feeling quite happy. When Yui continues to stare in his direction, he said, "What, did you want to hear what sort of wish I made?"

Yui threw her hands up, "No, it's your wish! You don't have to say it, although it's really up to you."

Subaru gulped, thinking about the wish he just made. If his face could grow red, it probably would have by now.

 _It doesn't hurt to say it. Just say it!_

"It's just a wish. I don't mind saying it."

"Are you sure?" Yui asked.

Subaru takes a deep breath, then made eye contact with Yui. As he opens his mouth to speak, colourful explosions and loud popping noises shot up into the night sky, outside the window from behind him, casting sudden brightness over Yui's petite face. The fireworks have begun.


	9. Chapter 9

_There's practically zero Ayato in the MB Anime season so far...which leaves me greatly unsatisfied D:  
_

 _As usual, thank you all for the reviews! The previous chapter had the most so far (sobs in happiness), and so it really gave me the drive to finish this chapter properly. The next chapter will also take a while, 'cause it's assessments period and I'm also juggling uni with some freelance work, but I have it planned out already and it's going to be a fluffy one (I hope!) BD_

 _Have fun reading!_

* * *

All Subaru wished for was simply for Yui to watch the fireworks with him. But maybe it's how things were supposed to be, because just before he could ask, the fireworks had exploded into the sky, taking the words right out of his mouth.

He thought that in times like these, it would be a given that the girl stayed and they get to watch the fireworks together. They'll be alone and it'll feel natural. It was, after all, the only thing he really wanted out of this day.

When Yui said she had to go suddenly, Subaru could feel a pang of something hit him in the chest.

"Don't you want to watch the fireworks?" he asked hurriedly.

"I have to go find Ayato," Yui replies, already turning to leave. "I'm sorry but I really need to go now." She wished him Happy Birthday again, and then she ran off.

Subaru thought about stopping her. He thought about telling her to not go, reminding her that she hasn't even heard what his wish was about. He also thought about thanking her, for being the first person to ever celebrate his birthday with him, for even remembering this day.

But all he did at the end was just to watch her go. Like all other things that had happened in his life, he found himself in no position to withhold anything.

Bitter and irritated with himself, Subaru punched at the tables near him, sparing nothing but the one table that had his cake and gift on it. The fireworks continued to shoot up into the air, its colour enveloping him in entirety.

* * *

Yui had wanted to stay, she truly did. Well, at least till she got to the part where Subaru was to cut his cake and open the present she bought him. But she completely lost track of the time, and the timing for the fireworks showing had slipped her mind. She's now late to meeting Ayato.

Yui ran as fast as she could, racing down the corridors. She also very nearly ran into Reiji when she made a turn, causing him to criticise at her 'poor manners as a lady'. She didn't mean to be rude, but she had ignored Reiji to be on her way. _(For that, she reckons that she's going to face some chastising when she gets home.)_

Watching the fireworks with Ayato was something she'd been looking forward to. She had wanted to just spend some time alone with him, to make precious memories of her being at her first-ever school cultural festival. For reasons she could not name, her heart was now aching to see him.

Yui kept running, and only got to the side of the pool area before she stopped abruptly. The fireworks have just ended, and she could hear loud cheers coming from the courtyard.

It's no use anymore since she's late. Yui fought back her tears, upset with herself. Ayato would probably be so pissed at her as well, and everything would be her fault.

Yui stood rooted to her spot next to the pool. She allowed herself cry for a bit, and when her tears finally stopped, she thought about going to the courtyard to find Ayato, where she could apologise and explain things to him.

"There you are." A voice that sounded too close for comfort came from behind her. Yui turned around, only to find a pair of familiar green eyes fixed upon her.

"Where the hell were you. You had some nerve to dare stand me up." Ayato said, the tone of his voice dark and menacing.

"Ayato! …I'm sorry."

"What, 'that all you can say? I'd been waiting all this time you know!"

Yui didn't even dare look Ayato in the eye as she explained, "I'm really sorry, I got so caught up walking around the festival, and then I lost track of the time. It's all my fault that we missed the fireworks."

"You're damn right it's your fault! What are you-"

Ayato stopped short when he saw the tears welling up in Yui's eyes. He was absolutely frustrated and all of this was clearly her fault, so why was she crying?

"Hey, how dare you cry! Whose fault is it, huh?"

"Because…" Yui sniffed, "I really wanted to watch the fireworks with you, Ayato. And now we can't anymore because of me."

Yui was really not a pretty crier, Ayato notes. The way her face was all tear-stained, her eyes puffy and how she had strands of hair stuck to her skin due to perspiration…he could never fathom how he'd come to hold her in such high regard but he did. And from the way she was weeping this badly, he could tell that she couldn't have been late on purpose.

"I'm really sorry." He heard her apologise again, like it was the only word she was capable of saying.

Instead of scolding her even more, or stomping off out of anger, like how he might usually react, Ayato did none of those things. Instead, he only pushes a part of her hair away from her neck.

"Then, get ready for your punishment," he breathed into her ear.

Yui squeezes her eyes shut when the pair of familiar fangs pierced through her skin. Ayato pressed himself even closer into her, drawing blood from the fresh opening he'd just created, licking eagerly at every drop. He then shifted to a spot that's only slightly higher than the one he's been sucking from, creating yet another mark that had Yui let out a short cry, upon feeling his fangs tear open her skin for the second time.

Ayato had been starving, and this, Yui knew. Besides it being a form of repayment for having kept him waiting, it was also a reward for Ayato, since he'd worked harder today than she'd ever seen him do. So Yui kept her eyes closed in compliance, allowing Ayato to take as much as he wanted.

All of a sudden, something exploded into the air from a distance away. Yui looked up immediately, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Ayato! Ayato, the fireworks!"

It hurt her physically to tear Ayato apart from her, especially when he was drinking midway, but to know the show wasn't actually over delighted her.

"They're beautiful!" Yui exclaimed excitedly.

Ayato had his eyes fixed on the spectacular display as well, although it's not like this was his first time seeing a fireworks show live. But there was something nice, calming even, about watching it together with Yui.

Their hands brushed against each other and Ayato took her hand, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, causing Yui to turn towards him, blushing.

Ayato only returned her stare with a smile. "You're going to miss the show again if all you're going to do is watch my face you know."

It was funny to see Yui blush even harder, as she tried to redirect her attention back. But she allowed Ayato to continue holding her hand. Despite him taking her blood or them kissing often, she don't remember them ever holding hands before so this was a first.

The show was much shorter than the earlier one, but it was definitely enough to satisfy. When it ended, everything around them became dark and quiet again, with only the faint sound of cicadas sounding nearby.

"Huh, is that all?" remarked Ayato.

"I guess so," Yui replied.

Then she remembered that Ayato had been drinking from her, but halfway, she had cut him off for the fireworks. As she arks her neck towards him again, she reminds him.

"Ah, sorry, Ayato. You didn't finish drinking earlier."

Ayato kept so still for a moment, that Yui almost thought he wasn't going to continue. In actuality, to have Yui offer her blood so readily to him was just out of the ordinary, since it wasn't something she'd normally do, that it stumped him a little. When Ayato brought his face closer next, Yui closed her eyes instinctively, readying herself for the bite to come.

Except the next thing she felt were a pair of lips upon hers, kissing her tenderly. With half-lidded eyes, Yui cautiously returned the kiss. She liked how demanding his kisses could be, but at the same time, how gentle they were as well. Her hand was still in his and although they were ice cold, it didn't matter to her.

"Ayato…" she moaned softly, upon feeling his lips make a beeline from her mouth across her jaw, and then down her neck.

"Say it," the tone of Ayato's voice dropping a notch, "Say my name. I want to hear more of it."

"Ayato…"

Ayato wouldn't stop nipping at the back of ear, and it succeeded in making her blush even more, her fingers clinging onto the back of his shirt. As she let out another soft moan, it only seems to encourage him further, leading him to kiss her hard on the side of her neck.

They both completely forgot that they were out in the open, although it's not likely that anyone stops by the pool at this time. Yui almost thought she was imagining things, but when she looked up, she could swear she saw a tall figure a distance away, staring right at them.

"Ayato!" she gasps quickly in fear, "There's somebody."

Ayato furrowed his eyebrows and swerved around instantly, looking into the same direction that Yui had been. By the pool were just some huge shrubs and shady trees, but he didn't see anyone, and neither could he sense a presence.

"Chichinashi, are you sure? I don't see anyone."

Yui couldn't understand either. Within a split second, it seemed that the figure had disappeared. Although she could've sworn that she saw someone, she wasn't so sure now.

"I…I don't know. I thought there was someone there."

"You're just imagining things," Ayato bumps his fist on her head lightly, "There ain't anyone around."

Yui looks up at Ayato, feeling better only because she wasn't alone. Maybe he was right, that she was imagining things. But somehow, until they made it back to the Sakamaki mansion, Yui couldn't shake off the feeling that someone had been watching them the whole time.

* * *

Subaru had slept for a whole good day. With the end of the school festival, he could at last be alone, without any troublesome duties or having to play pretend vampire, things which he had all disliked doing. His stomach was also feeling a bit weird from the cake Yui gave him, but since she went to the trouble, he made sure to finish it.

 _Maybe I shouldn't have eaten it all in one go._

Subaru rubs at his stomach, sorely reminded that his body wasn't good at absorbing too much human food in one night. He'd already eaten plenty of food from the festival beforehand. The cake had been a tad much.

As he lies in his coffin of a bed, Subaru then remembers that he still hadn't opened his birthday present. It made him curious all of a sudden, and he gets up at last.

He'd simply dumped the gift on his chest of drawers the other day. Ripping it open, Subaru discovers that it was a simple black tee that was just his taste. Yui even threw in a small card, which he opened to read next.

 _This present is for the other time. You spoilt your shirt in order to help bandage me up. I've always been under your care and I'm really thankful to know you. Once again, happy birthday!_

Subaru blushed. Yui had remembered all along. He pulled on the shirt and it fit him just right too.

All of the sudden, an odd feeling swept across him and he thought about returning to the demon world. It's been a while anyway, and maybe he could see if anything has changed, or hasn't changed.

Subaru brought himself down to the basement. He walked to the end of the tunnel, walked through an entrance and down a dirty path lined with trees. He passed the rest stop, and then hailed for a carriage right before he entered the main town of the demon world. This would take him to where he wanted to go.

Riding on the carriage, one that's operated by bats, Subaru stared out into the dark sky. Unlike the human world, the demon world has an additional season, called the Polar season, which is occurring now. It's why everything is pitch black, but looking down, he could still make out the lights that lit up some familiar parts of the town. How long has it been since he's been back, a year? He'd forgotten.

It took him a good hour to reach where he wanted to be. Getting off, Subaru paid the bats in terms of gold coins, and then, turning around, he found himself standing in front of a tiny cottage. The lamp at the walkway lit up the moment he took a step forward.

He opened the door to the cottage, which cannot be done unless you were the owner to the house. The lights came on, although they were dim, and Subaru could see that nothing has been touched. Everything; The old stove, the dining table, even the photographs that hung on the wall, they were all in their rightful place.

Subaru shuffled towards the bedroom. It smelled somewhat dusty but at the same time, nostalgic, a comfortable, fading, lavender scent. He sat down on the bed, a hand running across the quilt cover, and then he let himself lay down completely.

It's been a while.

* * *

November passed quickly, and school pretty much ended the moment everyone received their score reports. Yui was pleased to know that she'd done okay. Although she could buck up in English and History especially, she felt she had done well this semester. Leaning towards Ayato, she tried to peak at his results.

"Damn Chichinashi, who said you could look!" Ayato rebuked, turning his back at her.

Yui tried to ask a few more times after that, but only earned extra glares from Ayato. She even tried to trade score cards with him, but after looking at hers, Ayato still refused to give her his.

"I bet you didn't do well, did you?" Yui asked.

"Who do you think I am? Of course I did fine! You just worry about yourself!" He had rebutted. Yui never got to see Ayato's results, until 3 weeks after they'd gotten their score reports back, where she found it wedged between his stack of porn magazines. It was by accident, when she had to bend down to get a hair-tie that she'd dropped. He probably never thought she'd find it there, but she's been in his room enough times to know an odd sheet of paper when she sees one sticking out like that.

In actuality, she didn't think he did that bad. He barely scraped pass for most of the subjects, but he did especially well for physical education and he improved in Math too. She couldn't understand why he won't show her his report. Carefully, Yui tucked his report card back to place.

The season turned chillier as December rolled about, and almost too soon, snow had begun to fall and it's Christmas Eve already. There really isn't much of a Christmas vibe in the Sakamaki home, but Yui is thankful to learn that Reiji wanted a proper Christmas dinner, like a real family. So, on the days leading up to dinner, Yui had been busy preparing alongside Reiji.

"Why do we even need to celebrate? Isn't it troublesome?" Ayato had commented, as he watched Yui lay out the table. There were still a few hours to go, before they're all due to be summoned for dinner.

"Because it's fun," she beamed, "And it's nice to share a special meal with everyone in the family on such a day."

Ayato really couldn't care less. A meal on some over-hyped holiday isn't about to make them all become the best of brothers, in his opinion, and if Yui thought so, then she must be extremely naïve. But then again, since she seemed to be really enjoying herself with this, Ayato thought he'd be benevolent and allow it.

After a while, Yui finally finished setting up.

"I'm done! Now, to go to the kitchen and-,"

"Wait up," Ayato commanded.

Yui barely blinked and Ayato was already towering before her, hands holding onto her arms. He smirked, and was about to lean in for a quick drink when he heard someone snickering from a far corner of the room.

Turning around, he frowned at the sight of his perverted brother.

"Yoohoo~ it's Laito," greeted the green-eyed vampire, "Mind if I join in? I'm fine with threesomes."

"Che," Ayato waved a hand in the air, "Get lost and take your perverted thoughts with you."

"I'm just here to ask Bitch-chan something, actually," Laito said, his fingers skimming across the dining table and coming to rest upon some clean cutlery, "Hey Bitch-chan, did you happen to drop your Rosario anywhere perhaps?"

The Rosario was something that Yui brought everywhere with her, because it made her feel safer against all things evil. But that was up till some time ago. Since months back, she had kept her Rosario tucked away in her room in a jewelry box, because it was something given to her by her father and she didn't want to risk losing it. Also, since she learned that vampires don't fear Rosarios at all, it seemed less practical too.

"I don't think so," Yui replied.

"So I see."

"What's up with the weird question, Laito?" Ayato demanded. But Laito only smiled back at him, shrugging.

"Just thought I'd ask. It's nothing~ But maybe if you really wanted to know…I can tell you, but you'll have to let me join the both of you first."

"You stay the fuck away," Ayato yelled. Not wanting to be bothered by Laito further, he took Yui by the arm and led her away. Laito now stood alone in the dining room.

His hand slipped in to fumble within his pocket, before taking out a wooden Rosario to view. He smirked at the thought of how he'd found it right outside in the driveway. At first, he'd assumed it was Yui's, but now it didn't seem so.

"Well, well, whom might you belong to," he uttered to himself quietly.

The more he held onto the Rosario, the worse it made him feel. Still with a dark smile on his face, he walked over to the nearby fireplace and threw it in, watching the flames engulf the item whole. He didn't move an inch until he heard himself being called for by Reiji. By then, there was nothing left of it.


	10. Chapter 10

This one was supposed to be a Christmas special…but it didn't make it out till now (^_^;) In any case, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year, and make the year ahead be a fruitful and exciting one!

Chapter rating: M

Note: Rating applies for this chapter only, due to sexual references.

* * *

It was really cold, now that it's winter. But tonight was extra special, for it was Christmas Eve.

Wrapped up tight in her sweater and a pair of comfortable long pants, Yui settled down at the dining table. Seated right next to her were Ayato and Shu, and opposite her was Laito. Everyone else was there too, all with the exception of Subaru.

"Unbelievable, where has Subaru gone now? He knows it's a family occasion tonight," said Reiji while pushing up his glasses, visibly annoyed.

"Who knows," Shu said, having no interest in the topic.

"He's probably gone back again. Recently he's been like that, no?" Laito beamed in Yui's direction, although Yui had no idea what that was supposed to mean.

"Gone back?" she piped up.

"Back to the demon world of course. Subaru disappears off sometimes as he pleases. There's a little place his mother used to stay at during the holidays when she was rehabilitating. He's probably there again, I reckon~."

The conversation was interrupted when Reiji cleared his throat and demanded that everyone to begin dinner. A bountiful feast laid in front of them; Fried chicken and Christmas ham, Eggnog and Christmas cake. It was spectacular, and perfect for the festive season. As Yui watched the triplets bicker over pie (which was rather hilarious, considering that they were vampires after all), her mind couldn't help but drift to where Subaru might be.

She considered the things that she knew about him and all of them, and then realised that despite living with them for several months now, under the same roof every single day, the things she did know about them were embarrassingly few. She had no idea about the place they came from, the sort of life they've led in the past and what they were even doing here, in the human world. She only had a general idea and probably a ton of misconceptions but she was aching to know more now. She wondered if Subaru was doing all right back home in the demon world.

After dinner was done, Yui helped to clean up. By the time she was done, she realised everyone has already gone back to their own devices, so she guessed she was free too. With a flask in one hand and a mug in the other, she made her way to the living room, where she settled down comfortably in front of the fireplace. To be able to watch the fire crackle in front of her felt relaxing.

"Yo!" a voice came from beside her.

"Ayato!"

She was surprised, although not startled. These days, she'd gotten so used to him that little things like such no longer get to her. At most she would be taken aback, but no longer fearful.

"What's this inside?" he asks, watching Yui unscrew the cap to the flask.

"Hot chocolate," she replies, "Do you want to try a sip? Be careful, it's hot."

"I'm a vampire. Just worry about yourself, Chichinashi."

Yui watched with large eyes as Ayato took a drink, and just when she thought he was truly unaffected by how hot it was, he spluttered, his eyebrows furrowing. He probably wasn't as invincible as he thought he was.

"Dammit!" He cursed. Yui couldn't help but giggle.

"Was it good though?" she asked.

"It was hot! And way too sweet," Ayato complained while wearing a look of disgust. Instantly, Yui looked downcast. It didn't slip by him and he thought quickly.

"...I guess your blood is still better than any hot chocolate, eh."

Yui heard this and a tint of red instantly stained her cheeks. To encourage it, Ayato then bent forward to kiss her and he didn't forget to leave out the tongue. If he wasn't full, he might have taken some blood from her too, but the moment right now was satisfying enough for him.

"Say, let's go outside," Ayato spoke as he pulled away first.

Yui, who was still reveling a bit in the kiss, wondered, "It's going to be cold. What do you want to do outside?"

"You'll see when we get there," Ayato grinned.

* * *

Minutes later, Yui was being dragged outside. Even though she made sure to go grab an extra down jacket, with the wind picking up, it feels even colder than usual. But of course, just as expected, such a temperature meant nothing to Ayato. He was cold-blooded and his species could be said to even thrive in chilly weather. Already, Yui was regretting her decision to tag along but could say nothing.

Silently, she tailed behind him, watching him swing two bulky-looking bags in his hand as he went ahead. It didn't take long for Yui to realise that they were going to the nearby lake. Ayato had wanted to ice skate.

"Ayato, but I can't skate…" Yui looked worried, even after she'd put on the pair of skates as Ayato had commanded her to.

"Are you serious, its just ice. You can't be scared of a little frozen lake."

"But I really can't skate. I've never ice-skated in my life before."

Ayato followed Yui's gaze to the lake and broke out in a chuckle. "C'mon, it's ain't that hard." He then grabbed Yui by the hand and pulled her towards it, causing the girl to let out a short scream.

Try hard as she might, and it being her first time on the ice as well, Yui was beyond frightened. She was having so much trouble keeping her balance already, talk about skating-

"I really can't, Ayato. I think I'm going to fall," she whimpered.

"Relax, Chichinashi," he replied, "I'm not gonna let it happen."

Although Yui had some doubt at first, surprisingly, Ayato kept to his word. He never let go of her hand and steadied her whenever she seemed about to fall. Sometimes he'd pull her along so fast that it scared her, but it was just for the adrenaline; Afterwards, he would slow down and they'll laugh, but not once did she fall down or did he let go.

"This might actually be fun!" Yui exclaimed after a while.

"You getting the hang of it?"

"I…I think so."

"Right, then I'm gonna let go now."

Yui realised that she can't possibly have Ayato holding onto her hand and keeping her from falling forever, so she nodded. He released her, and almost immediately, skated off to have some fun while Yui, now on her own, tried to balance herself. It was tougher than she'd imagined, even with a crash course. She was barely on her own when she felt herself about to fall.

"Ah!" Yui screamed. But she didn't land hard on the ice at all. A pair of hands had encircled themselves around her body, holding her up steadily. Looking up, she found herself in Ayato's embrace.

"Tsk. What are you gonna do without me?" he grinned his usual boyish grin at her, causing her heart to skip a beat.

Snapping out of it, Yui said, "I think I'm getting a little tired. Would it be okay if I waited for you at the side?"

"Suit yourself, but I'm not done yet," Ayato declared. He saw Yui to the snow bank, before dashing off on his own. It suddenly dawned on Yui that it must seem extremely peculiar, to know that a vampire would enjoy ice-skating and sports, but it's Ayato. She's finding out more things about him to appreciate each and every day.

Just when Yui was having fun, looking at Ayato go and changing out of her skates, she heard some shuffling sounds come from behind her. They appear to be coming from amongst the trees or bushes nearby. None of it stuck her as out of the ordinary, for animals such as deers or birds do lurk around the area, until she stood up and saw footprints in the snow. Human footprints. And they still looked fresh, as if someone had just been there.

She heard the slight shuffling again from a distance. "Hello?" she called out softly, but there was no answer. Hugging herself, Yui inched closer toward the thick woods. She didn't know who or what is it, but she was about to find out-

At the same exact moment she made up her mind, she felt something cold slide down her back. Yui lets out a scream, swirling around instantly.

"Hah! Look at you!" All she met with was Ayato's face, who was practically bowling over with laughter. With snow trickling down her bare back, Yui wriggled about uncomfortably, annoyed. It was really cold!

"Wha- How could you, Ayato!" she scolded.

"Couldn't pass that up," he laughed some more, ignoring how miffed Yui looked.

"That's mean! It's cold!" Although the bit of snow had melted against the warmth of her skin, it now felt wet and cold and every bit uncomfortable.

"Well, yours truly shall be kind then and help you warm you up."

Ayato snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her into his embrace, snickering. He had put snow down her back, only to later proclaim his faux kindness for her. Sometimes, she truly didn't know what to do with him, but she decided she'd just worry about that later. Right now, there were more troubling things at hand.

"Ayato, I think I heard someone. I think someone was just here."

Hearing the tone of her voice, Ayato stopped short too, looking in the same direction into the woods. "What, are you sure? I don't see anyone."

"I know…but I really have a feeling that someone was here. Look!" She pointed at the footprints on the floor, but to her dismay, she found that the footprints she had been following were all messed up during her earlier fray with Ayato. Looking up, the trail that'd gone further into the snowy woods have also disappeared.

It was most puzzling. Could it be that she was just over-reacting?

"Geez, you're getting paranoid these days. There's nothing. Anyway, I'm done so let's go," Ayato said, already turning heel to head back to the mansion.

"You coming?" He called out when he saw that Yui wasn't following.

Yui hurried up ahead. Maybe it's just the winter night. Maybe she overexerted herself while skating. It seems that the cold must've really gotten under her skin.

* * *

Back at the mansion, the first thing Yui did was to enjoy a hot bath. The feeling of just being able to relax and have warm water rinse through her skin felt so satisfying that she almost didn't wish to get out, if not for the fact that she could catch a cold if she dared stay any longer. As she changed into her usual pastel pink nightgown and peignoir, her eyes caught sight of the clock nearby in her room, and she saw that it was already past midnight. It's now Christmas day.

In the past, she had always spent Christmas with her father. They'll be busy with church activities of course, with a lot of people to meet and things to prepare, but she always felt blissful, never once thinking it was a chore. It was tough to think that those days were now in the past. Looking out through the window, her fingers glazing along the cool glass, an immense wave of sudden loneliness and unfamiliarity hit her.

"I miss you, daddy," she whispered quietly. She almost wished her father would reappear before her. But of course, that were impossible.

It made her jump, when a sudden voice came from directly behind her. "Yui. You aren't crying, are you?" the voice asked.

She instantly recognised it to be Ayato's. She didn't even know she had been crying. Yui quickly wiped her face and spun around, keeping her eyes to the ground and forcing herself to look normal.

"Ayato! Why didn't you knock?"

"Since when do I need to knock?" he said rudely. All he wanted was to grab a quick drink and yet he finds Yui here, like this, which puzzled him. He reached out and used his hands to wipe her tears away.

"Hey, why were you crying?" he asked, his voice firm, but softer than he'd intended.

"I…I'm not-," Yui thought about denying it, just push it all aside, but when she saw Ayato's concerned expression, illuminated by the dim table lamp from a side, she cast it all away.

"I just really miss my father," she said quietly.

Ayato looked as if he was thinking about something. After a while, he asked why.

"Why…?" she was puzzled.

"Why do you even miss someone like that? He gave you away. He didn't want you anymore."

"Because-," said Yui adamantly, "He's my father. Even if he isn't my _real_ father, he's the person who raised me. This…it's my first Christmas without him." She was shocked to think she even had to explain.

A look that was part-frustration part-anger shrouded Ayato's face.

"What, Christmas in this place that terrible for you, huh?" he spat. For some reason, whether she meant for it or not, he felt as though she had been comparing the life that she once knew and the one she's got right now. But of course, she was a prisoner here. No more being in the home she knew, no more Christmas carols and no more family. They, no, _he_ had robbed her of whatever happiness she knew. This situation would've been different months ago; He would have laughed, antangonised, drowned in the sheer delight of her misfortune. But now, he didn't feel up to it at all. For the first time in his life, Ayato was fighting with feelings and thoughts he never knew he'd have.

So it surprised him when Yui took a step closer to him. She was looking right at him, her eyes empathetic and tender.

"You know that's not true," she insisted.

"But you'll prefer to spend Christmas with your father, isn't it?"

"I do miss him and miss spending Christmas with him. I want to see him again, of course. But-," she looked down shyly, as she slipped her hands quietly into Ayato's, "I was happy to be here. Eating dinner with everyone, spending time with you…I don't dislike it. I really enjoyed today, Ayato, being with you."

Her heart was pounding and she could feel the heat rise to her cheeks. But she couldn't take it any longer. Trying to hold these feelings back, the ones that have been bent towards that one person for a while now, felt suffocating. She had to tell him how she felt.

"Ayato," Yui said as she looked up at him again, "I…I think I'm in love with you."

His eyes widened. Even if he had taken everything away from her, including her hopes and dreams, she still smiled for him, a cruel, sadistic vampire. He didn't understand, not really. The only thing he knew was that he had been afraid to lose her, which he nearly did last time, and these feelings, they never went away.

All these thoughts and feelings swirling inside were driving him insane, so when it became too much to bear, Ayato tossed them aside. There was only one thing he wanted to do at this moment, and that was to kiss the hell out the girl before him.

"S-shut up," he said, before pulling her in and crushing his lips against hers, forming a bruising kiss. He didn't care if he was being too rough or that he scared her. He kissed her fast and he kissed her hard as he backed them up towards the bed, stumbling, until they fell over, with him on top.

Yui could feel her heart pounding against her chest as Ayato attacked the pale skin on her neck, sucking hard to make sure to leave hickeys that he was confident wouldn't disappear for a while. He then proceeded to push the peignoir off Yui's shoulders, along with the straps of nightgown. When he lowered his mouth to kiss at the area right above her breasts, he could feel a shiver run down Yui's body.

"Just this-," he said breathily, "Just this isn't enough."

Yui could only look at him through glazed eyes, as Ayato tugged her nightgown lower, until her chest was exposed to him. He worked his hands expertly, and when he bit down on the ball of her breast, she couldn't help but let out a pleasured cry. He drank from her in harsh gulps, feeling the way she was running her hands in his hair while he, in turn worked his hands all over her body. With the taste of her blood still lingering in his mouth, he reached up to kiss her again.

Only when she pulled away for air did he get to see the lustful expression on her face. It was then when he knew he had to have her.

At first, Yui had been apprehensive but the way he touched her, kissed her, made her feel things that she had never felt before, creating a want that she never knew existed. She could still feel her heart race when he aligned himself before her; everything was new to her, these feelings and sensations, but it was all perfect.

He was perfect.

Her eyes fluttered close as Ayato lowered himself onto her, swallowing her screams with his mouth as he bent forward to press their hips together. She was so warm, so tender on the inside that it was enough to drive him mad, but most of all, it was the way she looked at him, like she had nothing but complete faith in him. Such a thing was new to him and at that moment, he genuinely thought she looked beautiful, more beautiful that anything else he had ever laid his hands on.

"You're mine, Yui," she heard him say, "Every part of you, is mine."

She remembered how she'd silently acknowledged that her person would belong to no one else but him. She remembered letting out pleasured cries as she clung onto him and heard the pants that resounded into her ear, like a melody playing itself over and over again. She also remembered seeing a smile on his handsome face as their fingers intertwined, and for the thousandth time that night, how he'd leaned in to kiss her passionately.

She screamed his name, and him, hers. Soon, they both reached a euphoric high together, with no worries of what makes one human and the other, vampire. As he collapsed against her, Yui wrapped her arms around him, stroking his hair quietly.

Exhaustion would soon overtake them, they knew, but before he is to completely drift off, Ayato shifted himself to press a small kiss onto her forehead.

"Merry Christmas, Yui" he said softly, before closing his eyes.

Yui smiled.

"Merry Christmas, Ayato," she said, before falling asleep herself, in happiness and warm beneath the covers.


	11. Chapter 11

Happy New Year, everyone! It's been a long while since I touched this fic, but I've missed writing and I missed this story as well. I'm still very much into DL! So excited for the new game, character songs and whatnot! Anyway, enjoy the story, and feel free to leave me a review if you wish!

Chapter Rating: M

Chapter warnings: Brief coarse language, violence

* * *

What time was it, Yui had no idea. Sunlight was gently seeping in through the gaps between the curtains, although they were drawn, so it could be morning, but it could also be in the afternoon. She rubbed at her eyes. Outside, snow was falling lightly. It was just as any other day.

Adjusting herself in a bid to get comfortable again under the sheets, Yui turned to her other side, where she came face to face with a familiar someone.

Seeing Ayato's sleeping mask gradually sent Yui's mind into overdrive. She could recall the night before, which happened only several hours ago. The feeling of skin on skin, how she had clawed her nails into his back, how she had felt him _throb_ inside-

Clinging the sheets tightly to her body, eyes now wide open, her very own nakedness only served as a fond reminder of what exactly happened. Ayato was still sleeping soundly, looking completely handsome and at ease. Yui swallowed once, before sliding out of bed with stealth, not forgetting to quickly adjust her nightgown on her way. Then, she scurried quickly into the bathroom, her heart still pounding.

Yui stared at herself in the mirror, her hands gripping the edge of the basin. It's not like she looked any different. She's not feeling very different either. But it's just-

"Morning, Chichinashi," a low voice sounded into her ear, which made Yui jump, although she instantly recognised who it was.

"Ayato…! Good morning," she replied timidly.

Without knowing, Ayato had slipped into the bathroom and managed to encircle his arms around her waist, pressing his bare chest into her back. Taking advantage of how her face was now tilting towards him, he leaned down to kiss her.

Yui felt her face grow warm, her cheeks tinted red. Ayato then peppered kisses down her neck and along her shoulder. Yui had even assumed that Ayato might want to bite her, but he didn't.

"I haven't showered yet," Yui said softly. She felt him smirk against her skin.

"Then let's go."

He took her by the hand and led them towards the shower. Yui wasn't used to any of this. She wasn't used to sex or waking up to an overly affectionate Ayato, but somehow, he was being so gentle and so nice, and it captivated her so, that she can't refuse. When he got in with her, midway lifting her nightgown up over her arms to toss it aside, she guessed taking a shower with someone else would soon be added into the list of things that she wasn't already used to, but could. As warm water rained down on the both of them, amidst open-mouthed kisses and the sound of drops of water hitting the ground, he took her against the glass door for the second time in a day. But she guesses that if it were Ayato, then things will be wonderful.

* * *

"My, my, what do we have here," Laito tutted, a smile tugging at the end of his lips. His gaze on her made Yui feel extremely uneasy.

The day had barely begun and all Yui had on her agenda for the day was help Reiji pack up the kitchen, which is proving to be difficult with Laito constantly grinning into her direction. Although Ayato, who was around and keeping watch had told him to buzz off, it did little to shoo him away.

"You know what I smell?" Laito giggled, "I'll give you hint, Bitch-chan. It's not the leftover Christmas pie you're holding."

"Fuck you, pervert," Ayato yelled.

"Oh, don't be mean now, Ayato. Not all of us got to have steamy, hot Christmas sex with Bitch-chan," he replied.

"What did you say-?" A familiar voice came from behind all three of them, startling everyone. Yui looked up only to find Subaru. For some reason, he seemed increasingly upset.

But Subaru didn't even need an explanation because he could smell it in the air. It was as clear as day and it hit him the very moment he got into the room. Yui's scent had unmistakably changed. It now smelt heavier, thicker. To his knowledge, there was only one way how this could happen to any female.

His eyes shifted instantaneously to Ayato, then back at Yui. Laito had explained something before going back to bickering with Ayato, and Yui seemed to be asking him about something too, but all of it was lost in the background, like some irregular buzzing white noise. Unable to stand it, he turned and immediately left.

"Someone's in a terribly awful mood," Laito noted.

"Maybe somethin' happened," Ayato said, "Who knows."

Yui didn't say anything as she went back to cleaning. The one thing she recalled most about just now was the way Subaru had looked at her. It was burned into her mind, because he'd looked as if she'd just disappointed him.

* * *

Subaru remained in a foul mood till the end of the day. All he did was leave the mansion for a few days, just to get some peace and quiet and he returns to this? Of course, he could see it coming from a mile away and it's not like he and she had a thing going on, or anything…but it still disturbed him greatly that things turned out this way. He didn't particularly really hate his older half-brother, but for her to be with him. It was just…wrong. There are just some things he aren't able to wrap his head around.

As he was deep in thought, a tiny rap sounded on his room door. For anyone to knock so gently and not actually be barking out an order or two, he'd bet it was Yui. Subaru opened the door to find that he was right.

"Subaru, I made some Christmas cookies. I was wondering if you'd like to taste some," she said, holding out her plateful of baked goodies.

"Hmph," he replied gruffly, already turning heel. But since he didn't exactly yell at her or tell her to go away, Yui entered the room anyway.

"You missed Christmas with us. Where'd you go?"

"…Back to the demon world."

"I heard from the others you had a place of your own there. How'd the trip go?"

"It's fine, nothing much."

Yui's lips were in a thin line. She was staring straight at him but her expression was hard, worried, something that Subaru had never seen before.

"If anything happened to me, you'd be someone I go to, Subaru," Yui opened her mouth to say. "That's why, I want to be someone that you can go to, too."

Subaru almost wanted to get angry. He wanted to scream at her, to tell her all the things that were in his head and to blame her, but he knows if he ever did, she might never speak to him again. There were certain things she can't know, and one of them were his feelings towards her. Or else, it'll tear their friendship apart and she'll feel conflicted. He would never want her to feel this way.

Wearing a thick scowl on his face, Subaru shifted to face away from her.

"I said, I'm fine!" he yelled. He looked up with a glare, but Yui's expression tore him apart. She looked shocked and tears were welling up at the corners of her eyes.

She didn't say a word, although she did lay down the cookies on his coffee table. It was only when the door closed and when Yui was gone, did he allow his expression to soften a little.

It was all her fault. It was always her.

* * *

"So, he won't come out?" Ayato asked. He was happily occupied by playing darts in the family game room. Yui was lounging at the couch reading, although she could hardly get the words in, and for some reason, Shu was there too, sound asleep. None of the other brothers were around, but since Shu's presence didn't irritate Ayato today, it didn't matter if he were there or not.

Yui shook her head. "He's been in his room all evening."

"Fucking rude piece of shit," Ayato grumbled, as he sent another dart flying towards the board without even bothering to aim. "You don't have to care about that bastard, Chichinashi. If it were yours truly, I'd have eaten all the cookies myself, and then punched him in the face already!"

"So…noisy…," Shu half-peeled open his eyes, awoken at how loud and angsty Ayato was being.

"Just get back to sleep, lazy ass," Ayato shot back rudely.

Yui didn't even really give more than half a shrug as a form of reply. The Subaru she knew was gentle, kind and he wasn't so closed-off from her. Something must've happened, but if he won't say anything, she can't force the words out of him either. It hurts, to see the distance he was putting between them, and she didn't know what to do. Just then, Ayato came over to her and grabbed her by the chin to face him.

"I don't like it," he glared at her.

"Wha- what do you not like?" Yui asked, suddenly snapped out of her thoughts.

"You, thinking about him. You shouldn't even care about any other guy besides yours truly."

"I…I was just-," Yui's mind raced to search for some sort of explanation that would be acceptable by Ayato, but before she even so much as come up with something, Ayato had pulled her into his arms and the lights all went out. The room was instantly pitch-black.

Yui could feel her entire body stiffen, even though Ayato's arms were still wrapped around hers. She nearly wanted to scream when she heard Shu's voice, coming from the direction of the sofa still, but managed to stop herself just in time.

"Someone's in the house," she heard him say.

Yui dared herself to ask, "W-who is?"

Neither of them answered the question. Hastily, Ayato pushed Yui towards Shu's direction, even though all Yui wanted was for Ayato to stay.

"Take care of her. I'll go check it out. If anything happens, you know what to do."

Since it was completely dark inside, Yui had no idea the expressions that they wore on their faces, or what was even really happening. She only heard the door open and shut quickly, and then Ayato was clearly gone. She had been left alone in the room with Shu.

"Shu, what's going on? Please tell me something."

"Vampire hunters. Probably," he said lazily, as though it was something not to be feared. "Also, you look like you're about to pass out. Sit. The couch is right behind you."

Yui almost forgotten that vampires could see in the dark, meaning she was the only one out of them that looked helpless. But while she was panicking, how on earth is Shu, the vampire that's being hunted, remaining so calm about this?"

"Relax," he assured her, "It's just three of them."

"Shu, you knew about this?"

"They've been stalking us for a while now. Can't remember. I guess they wanted to finish the job so they could be done by New Year's."

Shu continued, "They left clues around. Tried to get rid of footprints, even laid traps. We've got different parts of the mansion covered, and this room is pretty far away, so you can just wait it out. Don't bother too much about it."

Yui was taken aback, and despite the oldest Sakamaki brother being with her, she still found herself on high alert. It suddenly dawned on her, that maybe back when she was ice-skating with Ayato just a few days back, what she felt wasn't a figment of her imagination. It could have been a vampire hunter.

Which also means that Ayato had been close to harm then. If anything happened to him…she wouldn't know what to do.

"Will Ayato be okay?" she had to ask. Instantly, she could hear Shu letting out a small, disbelieving, 'ha'.

"Look at you, so attached to that man…hah. He's a fighter. He's not going to die."

It hadn't even been more than 15 minutes since the lights went out and that Yui was confined to the room, when she felt Shu shift, telling her that it's fine to leave the room now. When she was hesitant, Shu led the way, opening the door and letting the light stream in.

The halls were still dark, poorly lit only by a few candles and the light of the moon. It was also cold, but it seemed to feel better as they approached the main hall, where Yui could see light. Out of nowhere, Reiji appeared in front of them. He didn't look very pleased to see either one of them. Yui also couldn't miss the blood that on his blazer, shirt and hands. It was so fresh that it was still wet.

"The both of you," Reiji said curtly, "…We've disposed of them. There were indeed only three, as we have spotted. You will help with the cleaning up later, of course."

Shu ignored him delightfully, although Yui said yes, at least. As they closed in on the living room, the sight nearly made her want to throw up. There was blood everywhere, on the floors, on the walls. The bodies of three men piled up in a stack, all of them lifeless. At one side, the Sakamakis had stripped them of their weapons and threw them aside. There were crossbows and knives made of silver, but they all had blood on them. It was…ghastly.

"Chichinashi!"

Yui mentally told herself to get it together, upon hearing and seeing Ayato was safe and sound, even when she saw the amount of blood on Kanato and Laito's hands as they hung around the room. Only Subaru was seemingly missing. She had to keep telling herself that if the boys didn't do this, the vampire hunters would kill all of them. When she saw Ayato's face come into view, she knew she couldn't let that happen.

She wrapped her arms around him the first moment she got. He was alive and well. Knowing that he wasn't harmed was all she needed.

"You okay?" she heard him ask. Her immediate response was just to bury her face in his chest and nod, silently grateful.

Laito couldn't resist but give a loud, audible sigh. "How unfair. Where's my own princess, a girl who'll hold me after a hard day's fight, hmm?"

"Maybe when you stop sleeping with and disappearing on every female," said Reiji crudely, as he started arranging the furniture back into place. Laito lets out a chuckle.

"Ooh, relationship advise from Reiji. Point taken."

"Oi," Shu piped up, "You guys missed one."

All of them turned towards the direction Shu was looking at, and there stood a man, his crossbow aimed towards them at the front door. He had a hood over his face, but his hands were clearly shaking a little. When he saw the bloody sight of his once-partners on the ground, he let out something of an angry sob.

"I'll get him," Ayato said, removing Yui's arms from around him. The man didn't run, seemingly still trying to process the situation and the sight before him.

And then, suddenly, he froze, when his eyes laid upon Yui.

"Yui-?" Everyone heard him say, but it was too late by then. Ayato had zipped over so quickly that regular humans couldn't possibly have predicted it, let alone react to it, and had overturned the man's own crossbow against himself. There was no hesitation to the shot fired. The only reaction the man gave was to shakingly pull out a small knife to swipe at Ayato, before he was so quickly disarmed. Still, even Ayato had heard him say the name he was so familiar with, which he couldn't comprehend.

With the arrow lodged into the man's chest, his hood finally fell and his face came to view. The next thing they all heard was Yui's tiny voice.

"Father?"


	12. Chapter 12

In recent news, I've pre-ordered my copy of 'Lost Eden'. I'm getting the super expensive LE pack from Ami-ami, and it seems that it'll cost me a fortune _(but all the goodies are so cute, I can't help it)_. Along with all the other PSV and PS4 games that I'm planning to get, my wallet is just dying, lol.

Thanks everyone for the reviews so far btw! I don't quite comment on them, but I read every single one and it's heartening to see the support. Hope you guys will enjoy the twists in this chapter too!

* * *

Her mind went into overdrive, as fear washed over her in that moment. _Was it really her father? What was he doing in the Sakamaki mansion? Why was he holding onto a weapon?_

 _Is he really…dead?_

It felt unreal, seeing such a familiar face scrunch up in unexplainable pain, blood pouring from the chest, and a silver arrow dug deep in his chest. Despite herself, she remembered sprinting forward, tears streaming down her face, and getting on her knees next to the now-writhing body.

"Da-daddy…you…I…," she didn't know what to do, or what to say. She couldn't stop herself from shaking. There was so much blood, much more than she'd ever seen gush out from any one person, and it pained her even more that up-close, she recognised it to really be him. As she tried to stop the wound with her own bare hands, she noticed how badly they were trembling.

It felt like nothing short of her world crashing down on her.

Her father, with bated breath, touched her gently on the hand, even as colour was steadily draining from his face. Yui paused instantaneously to look into his eyes. She waited for him to say something, placing her ear closer to his lips, even though every second that ticked by was killing her on the inside.

"You…you're not… _hnngh_ …my daughter", he whispered painfully. It was barely audible, yet every word struck her hard. As she looked into her father's eyes, they seemed so hard and unfamiliar.

She spun around to look at the Sakamakis, who were all simply just standing around. No one was running to help her or to get help.

"Please! Please, call an ambulance, somebody," she cried. When nobody seemed to be rushing to do so, her eyes flew to Ayato first.

"Ayato, please! He…he's my father! Please help me save him!"

But what shocked her more than anything was the coldness in his voice. "Let him die."

"W-what? No! _He's my father!_ " she repeated.

"He's a vampire hunter who wanted to kill us. He doesn't deserve to live."

Yui knew she must look a mess now, with every hair on her body standing up, but she'd never felt more helpless or betrayed than she did at this moment. As she struggled to think of something, _anything_ , she felt the hand that had laid itself upon hers go limp. Yui's heart immediately sank.

There was no longer any spirit left in her father's eyes. He wasn't struggling anymore…his eyes were just wide open and blank. His body was limp where he laid, and it was pure horror to witness. Yui was lost for words.

It felt like only a few seconds ticked by, when Yui felt a pair of cold hands tugging, egging her to get on her feet. She looked down at the corpse, then at her own two, very bloody hands. They were stained with the blood of her father's, the man who had single-handedly raised her for all those years-

"C'mon, let's go back to the room. We'll get rid-," Ayato started to say, when he felt a sudden blow to his left cheek. He looked up instantly, eyes wide open, at an expression he'll never have imagined capable from her.

"Why…are you so _heartless_?" Yui sobbed.

She couldn't even take another look at his face. She just wanted to leave, and she did.

If this were months ago, the Sakamakis wouldn't have had any of this, especially not from a female prey that doesn't know her place. They would've killed her. But this was Yui, and Yui was different. Her blood was special, and her spirit was something they all grew used to. They never would've imagined this coming from her, however.

"Ayato," Reiji was first to break the silence. When his younger half-brother failed to respond, he called out his name again.

"What?!" Ayato snarled.

"It is best you get that looked at first, before you solve your personal issues," Reiji pointed. Ayato looked down at his arm. He hadn't even noticed the deadly swipe that the vampire hunter had caused when he tried to attack him. Although it was barely a cut, it was starting to spread as it'd been from a silver knife, creating disgusting black veins that threatened to erode his arm and slowly kill him.

He'd have no choice but to go to the demon world for now. Even though he wanted very much to be by her side, Yui will just have to come later.

* * *

Subaru knew that the family had unwanted visitors, but he couldn't care less. He knew Reiji, especially, would finish them quickly, and he wasn't wrong. Sometimes, it was good having him around, because at the very least he was useful. Plus, it also meant that he wouldn't have to get his hands dirty.

He barely left his room for a minute, when he heard noises coming from the communal bathroom down the hall. His real intention had simply been wanting to clarify if the hunters were all cleared out from the mansion, but the sniffles coming from the bathroom piqued his attention. He opened the half-ajar door.

It shocked him, to see the amount of blood she was covered in. Yui was bent over the basin, choking on sobs and scrubbing at her hands under running tap water. The mere sight of it broke his heart.

"Yui! Are you okay?" he dashed over. He hesitated to touch her, but he wanted to check if any of the blood was hers, (even if none of it smelled like her,) so he did it anyway. There weren't any bite marks, nor wounds on her exposed arms, legs or neck.

Yui just stood there, feet glued to the floor. She looked so broken that he threw the little tiff they had earlier aside, and embraced her. At the very least, he thanked that she wasn't physically harmed.

"Yui…what happened?" he had to ask.

And in between choking tears, she told him. How she had no idea how her dearest father turned out to be a vampire hunter, how Ayato killed him in cold blood, and how she had been completely helpless.

"I wasn't able to do anything for him. I was just…useless," Yui whimpered. Subaru simply looked at her, his expression hard. This would be fine if it happened to him, for he was a person used to pain. But not Yui; She loved life and she even gave herself to a vampire (even if he didn't think she should have). She didn't deserve to have to go through this.

"You're not useless, y'hear me," he emphasised, pratically shouting. "You're not!"

"Then why…why wasn't I able to save him?"

"Because," he breathed in, "There are some things you can't save, even if you try."

Yui kept silent, and watched as Subaru helped to clean her up. He took care to wipe at all the blood with a cloth, going from her hands to her arms, and to her face. Along with the blood, he wiped away the dried-up tears on her face as well.

"Subaru," Yui spoke, "I want to leave."

He looked down at her, his eyes pitiful and gentle.

"I think I know a place."

* * *

It didn't take Yui more than 5 minutes to pack everything she needed. She took a few sets of clothes, her undergarments and toiletries, and two of her favourite novels. She also threw her Rosario and bible in her rucksack. She didn't have much to begin with, even though she'd grown familiar to this room and was actually starting to feel so accustomed in it. Now, if she thought any more, her heart would just ache.

She'd also quietly went back to the hall, as horrific as the scene would be for her. She wanted to see her father's body again. But when she got there, there was not a single trace left. None of the brothers were around either. It was so clean, as if no fight had taken place and no blood had ever been spilled. Every corpse, every weapon that the Sakamakis had seized, were gone. Yui had stayed glued on the spot, until she felt Subaru take her hand to tell her it's time.

When Subaru said he knew some place, she hadn't expected it to be in the demon world. Even more so, she hadn't expected that she'd have to take transport operated by bats, or see the occasional witch or demon flying in the air.

But then again, nothing really throws her off anymore these days.

"Here," Subaru let out a hand, helping her down from the carriage. He then proceeded to pay these bewildering creatures gold coins.

It seemed like a beautiful cottage from the outside, rustic, but also unbelievably surreal, surrounded by red and white flowers of a species that Yui can't name. Since it was the Polar season _(Subaru had said that that meant it was going to be night time all throughout the days, until Spring comes)_ , the sky was dark, but it wasn't discomforting at all. There wasn't another house in sight, as far as she could see, just several trees and vast greenery. The air smelt fresh, yet different, but it wasn't bad either.

Yui had stood slightly stunned, until she felt a nudge. "Come on," Subaru said.

It was just a simple, one-room cottage on the inside. The kitchen, living room, dining room and bedroom were all in one, spread out across the cozy-looking house. Most of the furniture seemed slightly old over time, but they didn't look too shabby. It had very simple decoration, and fading floral prints or patterns on some furniture. Subaru had the lights turned on in no time. Although it wasn't very bright, but for some reason, Yui felt safe.

"It's very lovely," she complimented.

"It was my mother's. She, uh, came here sometimes to…recuperate."

Yui spotted an old photograph, hanging right above the small fireplace. "Is this her?"

Subaru mentally hit himself for forgetting to hide those, but when he saw the look on Yui's face, there was just something about her that made him feel like it was okay to just be himself, and to tell her things, including his past. It wasn't a condescending, mocking expression, the one that hung on most of his brother's faces whenever the topic of his mother came up. It was one of genuine concern.

"Yeah," he mumbled, coming up next to her. "She's gone now anyway."

"I'm so sorry," Yui said. "She looked so beautiful. She must've been a really good person."

It astounded Subaru, how someone who'd just barely lost her father and who had been through so much over the past year could say things like that. But he knew Yui was selfless like that. It was just the way she was.

Subaru didn't really know how to react, so he just swallowed and proceeded to help her place her bag on the bed.

"Uh, place isn't huge, but just make yourself at home. The bathroom's right there, and I don't have much in the drawers, so you can just use 'em. I'll go, uhm, boil some water."

Yui nodded. She still seemed a little out of it, but it was an understandable situation. Subaru watched quietly, as she unpacked her clothes and belongings in silence. He wanted to say something, but it didn't seem right to say anything.

While Yui stayed home and showered, Subaru went out to get some groceries. There was virtually no food inside the house, and he couldn't let Yui starve. At the nearest store that was a good 30 minutes away, Subaru picked out food and drinks that looked (and smelled) most human. He also got some fresh soap and candles, which he thought she might like.

When he got back, Yui was already in her nightgown, combing her hair on the bed. She perked up, seeing him enter.

"Subaru, welcome back."

"Hey. Uhm, I got you some food. And other stuff, in case you need them."

Yui gave him a tiny smile, "Thank you. But I don't have any appetite right now. I think I'm just going to go to bed."

Subaru nodded. It was probably what she needs the most now anyway, to get some rest.

"Sure. I'll be here…if you need anything."

Yui nodded, and then she curled under the covers of the bed.

He turned off the lights, save for the small one at the doorway, before making himself comfortable on the dusty old couch. Outside, the moon was fuzzy, bright but partially hidden behind thick clouds. He thought back about how he just stole away with Yui to this place, a place where not even his own blood brothers knew of. How he was here, but with simply no regrets.

He wasn't close to dozing off, not really, but then he heard a voice call his name.

"Subaru," Yui had half-sat up, "Will you…sleep with me?"

His entire person practically jolted awake. "Wha-?"

"I mean, the bed feels too huge for me alone. There's space, so you don't have to sleep on the couch..."

He nearly wanted to ask, if she was absolutely sure, but he could see it in her eyes her sincerity, even if it wasn't in _that_ way. _(Subaru wanted to hit himself for thinking indecently.)_ He mumbled a small, "Okay," and got up to slide into the same bed as her.

"Thank you," she said softly, "Thank you for not leaving me alone tonight."

He didn't respond, simply watching as Yui slowly dozed off. It also didn't miss him by, the single teardrop that flowed down her delicate face, one of sadness and feelings of loss. Subaru lifted a finger to wipe it away gently, and then he scooted just a little closer to her. He watched her, like a guardian angel would, until he himself drifted to sleep, while thinking of how if she asked, he would gladly be her guardian angel for life.


	13. Chapter 13

New chapter! I've been more motivated to write lately :D

As usual, leave a review if you wish! This will allow me to work harder~!

* * *

Ayato could still remember the way Yui first looked at him. Those eyes, so filled with fear, and he loved it.

"Look at me," he'd said, his fingers turning her chin towards him forcefully, "And now…scream." The feeling of her blood hitting all of his senses was the best he'd ever felt. The way she'll wriggle desperately in his grasp, only for him to tighten his hold, and for her to cry out.

He really had tormented her a great deal when she first stepped into the Sakamaki mansion, deliberately making things hard for her sometimes, just to get a reaction out of her. After all, he _loved_ the way she trembled in his presence.

But this time…this time was different. He felt fear, but not the sort he wanted. She'd looked so pained, so _disappointed_ , staring at him as though he were a monster to be feared. He could feel his heart sink then, if he ever had one in the first place.

He couldn't get that image of her out of his head, when she lifted her hand up and slapped him hard; like it was the most difficult thing she'd ever had to do.

"-Sakamaki, I'm speaking to you."

Ayato snapped out of his thoughts. Oh, right. He was just at the hospital in the demon world.

"Yeah, so just tell me what's it going to take to cure this now. I gotta go back-," Ayato opened his mouth to speak, only to earn himself an irritated look from the physician.

"What do you think this is, simple magic? I don't care if you're Karl Heinz or whoever's kid, you're not going anywhere till I'm done with ya, y'hear?!" The 800-year-old vampire waved a hand in the air.

Looking down at his own hand, he realised how much worse the cut has gotten. It's only been some 24 hours since he got it. Now, the entire area where it was has turned black. It hurt like a bitch, and the rest of him arm wasn't looking too great either. If the doctor wasn't around, he can't say if he'd even still have his arm now. That was how badly silver affects vampires. It's also happened at the worse timing possible.

As he lay back down on his uncomfortable bed, watching as his doctor slap on more medicine on his arm, the only thing he has on his mind was Yui. It kind of irritated him, but he couldn't deny that he actually _longed_ to see her. He guesses, that the dumb girl is probably scared to death, with him gone from the mansion all of a sudden.

He found himself wanting to see her. There's so much, after all, that he wished he could say.

* * *

Yui had been sleeping for more than her usual 8 hours now, and even though Subaru had been up for a while now, barely able to get more than a bit of sleep in, the girl still didn't look like she's about to wake up anytime soon.

Wondering if maybe she needed more clothing than the few sets she brought, and also that he himself had a lack of stuff, he made a quick trip back to the mansion in the human world.

As he was rummaging through his own drawers, stuffing more clothes and essentials into his bag, he nearly wanted to put another hole through the wall again, seeing how Reiji had appeared out of nowhere behind him.

"Dammit, at least say something, will ya?!" he shouted.

"Better to keep all your ill manners in check and have some respect," Reiji hissed, "Seriously."

Subaru threw him a glare, but his hands didn't stop moving, still stuffing the things he needed. "Get out."

"Yui has been missing. You've taken her somewhere, haven't you? Your mother's place, I'd assume."

But of course. Trust Reiji to be the perceptive one.

"Answer me, Subaru."

"Yeah. So what?"

"You understand she was sent here to be one of ours, as an offering. We're under strict instructions from our great father that she mustn't be killed."

"I'm not gonna kill her, okay!" Subaru didn't like how Reiji's eyes were piercing into him. It was as though he was trying see through his intentions.

"And so, why have you taken her away from this mansion?"

"Be-because-," Subaru's mind raced, his mouth dry. Indeed, why _did_ he take Yui away? Even if she was heartbroken and devastated, he didn't have to go all the way to make sure she gets peace and quiet. He shouldn't even care, especially not when she's already given herself to Ayato…

Subaru clutched at his chest, because he knew why. He knows he has feelings for her, and maybe, he's about to have to admit to them, even if he doesn't want to.

"If you're trying to have her for yourself, you understand Ayato, especially, will not take this lying down. If you know what's good for you, you will bring her back immediately. Or else," Reiji stared at him, "I can't guarantee I'll be bothered to inform father of your dead body when that half-wit comes for you."

"Also," he continued, "Yui should be returned, before he gets back to this world."

"What do you mean?"

"Ayato is now in treatment in the demon world," Reiji said, pushing his glasses up with a finger. "He had been slashed during the recent vampire hunter attacks. It was a silver knife."

Subaru made a mental note of that. Basically, he doesn't really care whether or not Ayato lives _,_ but maybe Yui might want to know about this. As he turned heel to leave, duffel bag swinging over his shoulder, he caught sight of Shu sleeping along the hallway, and Laito throwing him a smirk from where he was at the end of the corridor. His brothers have all probably caught on the fact that he's smuggled the prey out of the house, and soon, Ayato's going to know too.

But when Yui's teary face appeared in his mind, there was zero hesitation in his footsteps. Already, he doesn't feel quite like himself anymore.

And it was Yui who changed him.

* * *

When Yui woke up, her head was pounding, as though a truck had just run her over. Her muscles felt a little numb, and her feet were cold despite her entire body being under the covers. A candle that sat in the middle of the small, wooden dining table was the only source of light. Outside, it remained pitch black.

She didn't see Subaru, so she figured he was out somewhere. It didn't really worry her, since no one besides Subaru could get anyone in or out. Yui crawled out of bed, turned on the lights, and then took another shower.

She had no idea how long she'd slept. It certainly felt like quite a while, but it could also only be just a few hours. She didn't know.

When she rummaged through the groceries that Subaru had put away in the cupboards, she found some ingredients that looked _edible (even if nothing seemed particularly familiar)_. She managed to get a fire started, found the cookware and cutlery, and it was just easy from then on. As she cooked, Yui thought about how peaceful everything was; it was quiet all around, and the sky was dark, but littered with beautiful stars, and she was alone.

 _She was alone._

Her thoughts went back to her father for a moment. How he'd raised her on his own, how he had taught her to read, sing and draw, and how she'd loved those simple evenings spent with her father, just being by his side. She'll never in a million years have assumed that…her father would be a vampire hunter. But no matter who he was, or what he was hiding, to know he would never be by her side again, and that he was gone forever was just the hardest pill to swallow.

"Watch it!" A voice yelled from behind, effectively startling her. Yui nearly dropped the pan she was holding, when a hand shot forward and gripped it.

"Dammit!" Subaru scolded, "What are you doing, spacing out when you're cooking? Fuck-"

As Subaru took over the pan, which by then, the vegetables have already been more than well cooked. Yui let herself take a step back. She watched him pour the piping hot vegetables onto a plate, before him turning around to shoot her a glare for having been careless.

"I'm sorry," she apologised.

"You didn't even hear me come in, you," he barked. But then his expression softened and he avoided eye contact suddenly. "Have you been crying?"

Yui wiped at her face with the back of a hand, and was surprised to find it moist. _Oh_. She had no idea that that even happened.

Subaru let out a sigh, furrowing his eyebrows. "Here," he said, pushing the plate in front of her and handing her the cutlery, which Yui took. He watched her eat in small bites quietly. She looked so fragile, as if she was going to fall apart anytime.

"You know, I lost my mum too," he said, after a while.

Yui looked up at him, "What happened?"

"She wasn't well, not mentally at least. At times she's fine with me around, but most of the time, she hated me, for looking like my old man, the man who never even once showed himself," Subaru gave a sad laugh, at the memory of it. "I lost count of the number of times she said she wished I was never born. And for the longest time, I wished I never was either."

He continued, "I think my mum was happy when she died. When I stabbed the knife into her heart, I set her free. She was probably glad to go because she doesn't have anything left to live for anyway."

A silence hung in the air, as Subaru remembered those terrible days that he tried everyday to bury at the back of his mind. He never talked about his mother, except for the occasional time when the topic comes up and his brothers said something out of line, in which he has to defend his mum, but otherwise, no one needs to know. It was the first time he ever said this out loud, willingly.

He never even realised Yui had gotten up, until he felt a pair of arms coming from the back, wrapping themselves around him. He tensed up, but quickly relaxed, at the realisation of how warm they feel.

"I'm so sorry," he heard her voice through sobs, "It must've been so hard to go through that yourself."

Subaru instinctively raised a hand to place it over hers. Never in his life had anyone said these things before to him, and he had assumed no one cared. But here was Yui, whose heart went out to a cold-blooded creature like himself. He couldn't understand.

When Yui didn't show sign of letting go, he arched his head around. He instantly paused when he realised how close her face was to his, and Yui must've known as well, for her sobs suddenly ceased. They locked eyes, and a million thoughts ran across Subaru's head in that split-second.

He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to do it right there and then.

But, as he leaned another inch forward, Yui drew back. Her huge eyes lingered on his gaze, red from tearing, and he could tell she was completely apprehensive. He instantly drew back himself, although a pang of hurt hit him on the inside.

"I should…go do the dishes," she muttered softly, withdrawing her arms from around him. He watched her scurry to gather the plates and cutlery, bending over to wash them at the sink. The sudden sound of gushing water helped to make things less awkward.

Of course, he should've known. _Ayato._ It was probably it. No matter how close he gets to Yui, his half-brother would always be in the picture, and he knows that deep down, she sincerely has affections for him too. He could never bring himself to make things difficult for her, or their friendship, by crossing the line.

He could never, but what's scarier is, he wants to.

* * *

It was really mostly quiet, being this far out in the demon world. Besides the occasional sound of an animal call faraway, or the engine of a passing vehicle, it was dead silence that surrounded them. It was also pitch dark, save for the flickering candles, one on the dining table and one on the bedside table next to Yui, that brought some light and warmth.

Subaru was having a hard time trying to fall asleep. Strange, considering that insomnia wasn't something that he struggled with regularly. He tried keeping his eyes shut, and to divert his thoughts, but they all seemed to fall on Yui without fail.

He was still sharing the same bed as her, as he did from the beginning when she'd insisted. He wondered if he turned to a side, to just steal a look at her for a quick second, would he unintentionally wake her. He did so, and thank goodness, Yui didn't even stir. She was facing him while sleeping on her side too, except her eyes were closed. Her breathing was even, and she is sound asleep.

She's probably exhausted, thought Subaru. Although she looked so peaceful now, her eyes had been red and puffy some hours ago. Now, the skin around her eyes looked like they've gone back to normal, as if she wasn't just heartbroken a while before.

Speaking of skin…he couldn't help but notice how her cheeks had that perfect, slight pinkish glow to it. And how it looked so smooth and supple, quite unlike most of the other human beings he'd seen. In fact, up close, he could practically hear the blood gushing below that very skin.

 _Damn_.

He wanted to tear his attention away, but instead, they fell on her neck area. Some of her shoulder-length hair was blocking his view, so he dared shift those strands away, allowing his eyes to take in the sight before him. She was flawless. Except for a few fading bite marks that no doubt belonged to Ayato, her neck, her shoulder, and even the slight cleavage that was accidentally exposed to him turned him on more than anything.

He scooted just a bit nearer to her, feeling his breathing get more ragged. He hasn't had a proper drink from a human in weeks, and right now, the perfect opportunity was in his hands. After all, _she smelled so good_. He could easily drink her dry, and she won't even have a place to run to. It could be so simple-

He had been so pre-occupied lately that he barely noticed his raging thirst, but now that he did, it was crazy. He leaned in _closer_. He knew that he really should've hunted more often, since being in the same enclosed area as this girl was bad news. _Again, closer_. This was a horrible idea, and it was possible that he could incur Ayato's wrath, like drive the man to murder him, but he couldn't stop. He bared his fangs, and just a little, tiny bit _closer_ -

"Subaru?"

Yui's small voice scared the hell out of him, and Subaru retracted himself instantly. His eyes, large, focused on hers.

"What the- aren't you s'posed to be asleep?!"

When Yui didn't quite respond, he guesses that she was probably shocked at how close he came to biting her. He didn't want to ruin anything, so he apologised, even though it came out as barely a mutter.

Instead of her just turning away from him like he'd expected, Yui pushed her hair further back, and pressed herself closer to him. She tugged the collar of her nightgown further down, and looked up at him shyly.

"It's okay. I don't mind."

He could die; he really could, if only he wasn't a vampire and that vampires have one hell of a long shelf life. It took him a minute to actually comprehend what was going on, but the determination in Yui's eyes told him that she was sure of it. He could feel his willpower waning.

Subaru placed his lips on the skin of her shoulder, taking in a deep breath as he did so, while feeling her wrap her arms around his back. He hesitated for a second, but he followed his instincts and bit down slowly, in case he hurt her.

"Ah," Yui let out quietly, her eyes shut tight. Although he had been slow and gentle at the beginning, the more he drank, the more she could feel Subaru grow hasty. His next bite landed on her neck, then on her collar, and then he shifted himself to bite her on the other side of her neck.

At this point, Subaru could hardly care about Ayato very potentially murdering him in future. Yui's blood was hot and thick and unlike anything else he'd ever drank, that it filled him up, but also made him desire more. It tasted _so fucking good_ , that he doubted anything short of a vocal ' _no_ ' from Yui would stop him.

He could feel the strength in Yui's grip weakening, but neither is she protesting.

Just a little more, thought Subaru, as he held her body closer to his.

 _Just a little more._


	14. Chapter 14

More unexpected(?) twists and turns! As usual, please review if you'd like, as it'll really give me the motivation to write more and better! Please enjoy this chapter as well!

* * *

Subaru woke up to the smell of fresh, hot toast.

 _Toast?_

Subaru peeled his eyes open slowly. Almost instantly, he realised the lack of warmth beside him, and he half sat up, leaning on his elbows and adjusting to being awake. Right before his eyes, there was Yui's silhouette, with her back turned towards him. She was so slim and so petite, her blond locks falling all around her shoulders, that he caught himself sort of smiling when he shouldn't.

Yui then spun around, the tea in her hands, and she caught sight of Subaru while she did. He wiped his smile off before he could notice.

"Hey! Good morning, Subaru." Her smile was so bright that it threw him off for a second. He mumbled 'good morning' as well, and crawled out of bed.

Yui had made toast, sausages and hot tea. Of course, she didn't have much to work with, but it looked decent.

"I made two sets, in case you were hungry," she said, as she arranged the cutlery. "Although, if you prefer, I-."

He could swear that she was deliberately out to give him a freaking heart attack at the start of the day, when she tugged the collar of her blouse down to expose her skin.

"No!" he unintentionally yelled, embarrassed at the same time. "I-I mean, I just drank from you last night!"

Yui blushed, her fingers accidentally reaching up and touching the scars that Subaru had just left. She flinched when they hurt, reminding her of how new and fresh the bites were. It did not slip Subaru by.

"Uh, hey, do they hurt?" He took a step closer. "I didn't mean to, y'know-."

"I don't mind," she smiled at him, "I really don't."

Subaru had no idea to respond to that, except to just take a seat and try to act less awkwardly around her. If Ayato even knew, he'll have his head for sure. _Ayato…_

It hit him that he hasn't told Yui about him yet. It's been days since Ayato started receiving treatment for his slash wound at the hospital in the demon world, and also days since he knew of the information from Reiji. It might make her feel bad, but when Subaru thought about it, hiding it seemed like an awful thing to do too.

"Hey, Yui," he opened his mouth to say.

"What is it?"

"Listen," he swallowed, "I know I brought you here and all, but when I made a trip back to the mansion a few days back, I found out that…"

"What did you find out?"

"That Ayato was slashed, by a silver knife. He's in the hospital somewhere here. I didn't mean to keep it from you, but I was thinking, maybe you were worried about him-."

Yui looked confused, her head cocked to a side.

"Who's Ayato?"

* * *

She could swear that she almost felt like Subaru was joking with her, except for the fact that he never seemed to pass for that sort. But she's never heard of the name. It didn't bring back any memories, and it sounded completely foreign. Who could it be?

"You…don't know who Ayato is?"

Yui shook her head.

"Should I?"

"You're joking, right? Ayato, he's…you've been with him for the past year. He's in the same class as you, and Kanato." He knew he was raising his voice, but he couldn't contain his emotions.

"Subaru, you're scaring me."

Yui hugged her arms and took a step away from Subaru, which didn't slip him by. But the fact was, there is no Ayato. She has never heard of this person, never even said such a name before. For Subaru to suddenly force that upon her was so unlike him.

Subaru paced around the room for a bit. She didn't know what was on his mind, except he definitely looked endlessly worried.

"Subaru, what's going on?"

He didn't immediately answer her, but after a few seconds, fixed his eyes on her.

"Just tell me what you remember, Yui. How many brothers do I have?"

Yui swallowed, but tried her best to comply. "There is Shu, Reiji, Kanato and Laito. And you."

"Do you remember you making takoyaki last time? Who was it for?"

"Uhm, I…I made them. And then I took them to eat by the lake…but I know I didn't finish them. Weren't they for myself?"

Subaru's lips were in a thin, hard line, and honestly, his gaze frightened her.

"At the school festival, whom were you rushing off to watch the fireworks with?"

"I was on my own-"

"Who did you first, y'know, _have sex with_?"

"That…I don't know, I-."

" _What happened to your father-_ "

"Stop it! I said, I don't know!" She screamed, covering her ears. Her heart and mind were racing, and every hair on her body was standing. There was something wrong, and she knew it; the problem was with her. Something, someone, was missing in the picture.

"Yui!" Subaru literally zipped to her side, holding her, trying his best to comfort her in his way. "Dammit, I'm sorry, okay. I didn't mean to."

Her heart was still pounding despite herself. "What's going on with me, Subaru?"

All she wanted was to have a peaceful, quiet life. She thought she was getting better about her father's death, but now this…the sudden memory loss made absolutely no sense.

"I think maybe Reiji would know what to do. I'll send a message back to the mansion. You stay here."

Subaru sat her down, before dashing out to engage a familiar for the duty. He was fast with whatever he wanted to say, and then he was back. Yui thought he might stay, but no sooner than she thought that, he started to reach for his jacket.

"'K, look, maybe someone at town knows about stuff like this, a witch or something. You wait here, and I'll go find someone to ask."

Yui couldn't stand it. She felt as though she'd go crazy, if she were left alone. She didn't want Subaru to go anywhere, at least, not right now.

"Please don't. Don't leave me." She took a bold step forward and hugged him, burying her face in his chest. The way he smelt, the way she fits against his tall frame; Right now, he was the only thing she knew. She doesn't think she'll be able to stand it if he leaves.

Seconds ticked by, and when Subaru raised a hand to smooth over her hair, reassuring her, it instantly made her feel safe.

"I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

It was dark and cold, a misty night with the moon hanging high above the clouds. It wasn't unlike other nights, but there's different about tonight's atmosphere.

"Yui! Chichinashi, where are you!" Ayato screamed. He was standing in the Sakamaki mansion, but it seemed oddly quiet. He couldn't sense anyone's presence; Not any one of his brothers, or Yui, seemed to be around. The mansion was incredibly quiet and eerie. Where is everyone?

Ayato spun his head around when a flash of lightning zipped pass outside the window. Right. He hasn't stopped looking for Yui.

"Chichinashi!" he yelled again. He'd been running all around the house, from her bedroom, to the kitchen to the living room. "Chichinashi!"

"Ayato?"

He turned around, and there she was at the end of the corridor. But Yui wasn't alone. Subaru emerged from behind the shadows, and he took her hand, right in front of him.

"Why you-," he growled, but just before he could even take a step closer to the two, Yui stopped him. "Ayato!"

"…Ayato, I have to tell you. I can't see you anymore."

"What?" he paused in his tracks.

"You killed my father, Ayato. All I wanted was for him to be well; I didn't even need to see him, I just wanted to know he was okay. But you…you _murdered_ him. You took him away from me," she cried, her eyes brimming with hurt. "Why did you do it? Why did you kill him?"

"I didn't know he was your father!"

"Bullshit!" Subaru stepped in. "You'll murder anyone in cold blood. Just like what you did to your own _mother_."

"My mother drove me to the wall, she fucking deserved it-."

"Then, did my father deserve it too?"

"I didn't know he was a hunter-"

"Shut up!" Subaru wrapped his arms around Yui protectively, "From now on, the only person Yui will belong to, is me. You stay away from her."

Ayato's eyes widened when he saw Subaru then lean forward, placing his lips on top of Yui's. It felt as if his world was falling apart right in front of him. He wanted to spring forward to pull them apart, but while he tries to will his legs to do so - they refused to budge. No matter how hard he struggled, they refused to move.

"How pitiful." A sultry voice came from behind him. When Ayato turned around, he was standing at the edge of the river, staring into the deep, black pool of water.

"You never will come in first…" His mother's voice rang in his head. "Not in my eyes, not even in the eyes of your precious prey. _You're a disappointment_."

He saw his mother's hand reach out from the darkness, pushing him, and for some reason, he wasn't able to fight back, not even when his body hit the water. He wanted to shout, to move his limbs – But his body was unresponsive. He could only watch blindly in horror as he sunk lower and lower into its depths.

… _killed my father._

… _only person Yui will belong to is me._

 _You're a disappointment._

The words resounded in his head, over and over again. There was no use. He couldn't fight it. He-

Ayato sprang up, his eyes wide and his body hot. He scanned his surroundings, panting, and realised that he was still in the hospital in the demon world. The walls, the lights and the night sky outside, none of it were changed. Even the medicine that the doctor had applied onto his arm a few hours ago was still there, barely dry. As he clutched onto the fabric of his sheets, he realised that all of it was just a bad dream.

He rarely ever had dreams – or rather, nightmares – such as this one, but it all felt so real. It left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth. Even when he laid his head back down onto his pillow, it felt impossible to go back to sleep.

His mind couldn't stop thinking, as he wiggled uncomfortably under his sheets.

The kiss between Subaru and Yui felt too real.

If only she were by his side now. If only he could just make sure.

With his hands balled up in fists, Ayato tried to shut his eyes and go back to sleep. But even with closed eyes, his mind was still just filled with Yui. He wonders if she's missing him, or if she's feeling lonely in the mansion without him. Does she even know that he's here in the demon world? Or maybe, she's still just mad at him for killing her dad. That would make sense.

He never quite understood her attitude towards her father. Not only did he abandon her, he lied to her, seeing that he turned out to be a fucking vampire hunter. (And he knows vampire hunters aren't made overnight.) That man was no different from his own mother, a woman who also lied and cheated and forced her children to do the things she wanted. In the end, they're all the same.

So he couldn't understand. But then again in the first place, Yui is different from the other potential brides. Even the way she laughs, cries or gives herself up to him, they're different.

 _I think I'm in love with you._

He thought back to the way she looked at him when she said that. He'll never want any other man to see that side of her, ever. He'll never accept Yui to be with anyone else but him.

He wished she were by his side right now, so he could take her blood, kiss the hell out of those lips, and then make love to her. He'll watch her expressions change as he does things to her body, and it'll make him _feel something_ , something he has never felt, before Yui came into his life.

As he sorely misses the warmth that used to lie beside him, Ayato feels his eyelids getting heavier and heavier, and he drifts to sleep without realising. Little does he know, his world would completely change in the weeks to come.


	15. Chapter 15

First and foremost, many apologies for taking so long! I recently started at my new job, and although I'm still at my probation period, I'm eager to do well _(fingers crossed)_. Thank you to all that've left such kind reviews! I'm super happy to see you guys excited about the story. I'll work to keep the drama going, ahahah. Now, without further ado...

* * *

It's been two weeks. No news has returned from the Sakamaki mansion, which slightly bothered Subaru, but then again, he's busy enough at his mother's cottage in the demon world. With Yui around, there's simply no end to the things that occupy his mind.

Everyday, every waking moment, they'll be together. No school, no other brothers, just her and him. Subaru got to learn more about Yui's past, before she came to the Sakamaki mansion. She was actually homeschooled by her father, who was a pastor at their church, and he was a kind, thoughtful man, whom she never would've imagined to be a vampire hunter. When she isn't busy reading or helping out with chores, Yui would take part in church activities. She even aspired to be a nun!

Yui also got Subaru to open up to her, in a way that he never did before. Of course, the lingering feeling of missing some memories still haunt her, but it never seems to bug her for long, as she focused her energy on the present. Plus, she isn't alone. She learnt about Subaru's struggles with his mother, and how he never got along with his brothers, maybe because all their mothers didn't like his mum anyway. And since he was also the youngest, no one really cared. He claims people are hard to understand, and it's easier to just be alone – but Yui would beg to differ.

"Don't you think it's easier, to share your thoughts and fears with others? That way, they can help you too if you need."

"No. It's too troublesome," he spat.

"You helped me. You didn't think it was too troublesome."

"Th-that's different!" he instantly grew red in the face, and proceeded to turn his back on her. Yui actually found that rather amusing. Despite the way he looks – or pretends to look – she knows that Subaru is much kinder than he seems.

For one, she knew that Subaru has always been watching over her. It's something that she only realised recently, but since back then when she ran into trouble, Subaru would never be far. Even now, as she is doing the dishes while humming a soft tune to herself, he's actually sitting nearby, watching her.

In the mere few weeks they spent together, it seems they've even worked out a system between themselves. Since Yui can't really go out on her own, as there might be demons or vampires around, and also because the system of the entrance only recognises Subaru, she'll usually be cooking, cleaning or sewing at home. Even when she is bored, she'll be curled up on the bed reading. Meanwhile, Subaru would get the groceries or anything else they might need. And when it gets later in the night, they'll talk over some food, till it's time to wash up and go to bed. They both continue to share the same bed.

"Hey, tomorrow's the day," Subaru said one night, just as Yui came out of the shower.

"What is?"

"The end of the Polar season."

Yui perked her ears up at the sound of it. "You mean, the end of the endless nights?"

Subaru nodded. He opened his mouth to say something, but then decided against it. Yui would have none of that.

"What?" she half-laughed, sitting down next to him on the bed. "Tell me."

"I-I was wondering…would you like to watch the sunrise? Together?"

For some reason, the smile that broke out on her face erased all anxiousness within him.

"Why, I'll love to!"

Yui was actually excited, even if it meant that she had to get up a little earlier. She even prepared breakfast, picnic-style, just so they could go out to watch the sunrise. Subaru had said that behind the cottage, there was a small stream. Although they'll still have to be careful of any wandering creatures that may be nearby, since the area is generally empty and quiet, there shouldn't be anyone.

For the occasion, Yui put on the best dress she got, a casual, light-coloured polka dot piece that she loved. Subaru was also such a gentleman, holding her hand as they crossed the fields of beautiful red and white flowers. Although he says it's just so that she doesn't trip, fall and hurt herself, she knows; it's just Subaru, being concerned for her.

The pair got nearer to the stream. It was still rather dark out, but with floating candles at bay and Subaru's ability to see through the dark, it isn't too bad. Subaru helped to lay the mat, while Yui brought out the food she prepared.

After a while, the sky began to turn lighter.

"Oh, it's happening!" Yui exclaimed. She rarely ever saw sunrises in the human world, much less one in the demon world. She knew how important it is, considering that this moment only happens once a year.

Sitting next to the girl, Subaru was just amused at how Yui seemed to be so fascinated. To him, it was just like any other sunrise. But today, things felt different. For the first time in his life, the sunrise looks better than any other.

Although, unlike regular sunrises in the human world, this one in the demon world is much dimmer, as though the sun has lost several shades in its colour wheel. When it's obviously ended, Subaru was worried he might have disappointed her.

"I know it's not that great...," he said, rubbing his neck.

"What are you saying?" Yui turned to fix her gaze on him. "It's wonderful, and I'm so happy you brought me out here."

She smiled softly at him. "Thank you."

That was it. Subaru could feel something just snap within him, be it his sanity or patience, or both. The warm light had settled itself on her petite face, and her hair was waving gently in the quiet breeze. Surrounded by flowers all around, he had never seen anything kinder or more beautiful than this girl right before him.

Yui closed her eyes instinctively, as Subaru leaned in to capture her lips gently with his own. She hadn't said a word so far, but whatever it was, she'd been feeling it recently too, and Subaru had just ignited that. There was just something about being with Subaru that made her feel safe and protected. And heck, his lips on hers feel perfect.

That day, Subaru decided sunrises in the demon world weren't too bad after all.

* * *

Ayato had spent three long and depressing weeks in the hospital, and finally, his hand and arm are looking mighty patched up at last. He'd say the stay is even painful, because it is; All the blood he's been getting were average at best, and he's been dying to have some _decent_ blood, which is probably waiting for him back home. Plus, being cooped up in a room means overthinking, and for him it means over thinking about Yui. It also frustrated him that she was constantly on his mind, even when he didn't want it.

So when he was told that he'd be able to go home from now on, to recuperate from the comfort of his personal room, he was more than delighted to oblige. Honestly, this place is the pits. He'd be out of there sooner if he could help it.

 _Now, Chichinashi better be missing me_ , he smirked to himself quietly, as he hailed transport to take him to the border.

To get across the border, it's a long walk, past some quiet houses and the woods, and then right between a peculiar pair of trees would stand the gateway. But so long it got him home, it's whatever it takes.

"Chichinashi!" He began barking out loud the moment he came up from the underground sewers of the mansion, which was also a gateway that connected the demon world and the human world together, all the way into the house.

"Oi, Chichinashi! Where are you?" he yelled again, when there wasn't any response.

"Can you keep it down?!" Ayato spun around to spot Kanato, sitting by himself and Teddy at the edge of the stairs.

"Hey, y'seen Chichinashi around? None of you have been drinking her blood, have you?"

"I would if she's here! But she's been gone!" Kanato said hysterically, before shifting his eyes up. Ayato turned around again to see Laito, standing with a smirk on his face behind him.

"My, my, you're looking much better, brother."

"Took me nearly a fucking month," Ayato replied, annoyed at the fact. "Hey, where's-."

"She's not here. She's in the demon world now, _nfu_."

"What?"

"She's with Subaru."

"Oi," Ayato said, his eyes dead serious, "What do you mean by she's with Subaru?"

"Took off the same time you had to go for treatment in the demon world. And some weeks ago, Subaru actually sent a familiar back. I don't think you'll like what it says~"

Ayato immediately grabbed Laito by the collar and slammed him against the wall, eliciting a small 'ouch' from the man.

"Not so rough now, Ayato-."

"Tell me what's it about!" he shouted. It brought a smirk to Laito's face, one that brought more irritation to Ayato.

"It would appear that~ our dear Bitch-chan has lost her memories."

The strength in Ayato's hands seemed to leave him suddenly, and he let Laito go.

 _Not again. There's just no way._

"Wh-where are they? Tell me, now!"

"Do you remember that Subaru's old woman used to have a cottage somewhere? In the demon world, for all the crazy she's got up there. But sadly, none of us knows where exactly it is."

Everything smelled…fishy. _It's probably a joke_ , Ayato thought to himself, his mind in disbelief. Maybe, once he found her, it'll be that she lost other memories. It can't possibly be about him again, not after all the things they'd been through.

"I'll find her. Whatever it takes," he said. Right now, more than anything, it's his priority.

"Good luck!" Laito called after his brother, who was already leaving, then added more softly, "You're gonna need it."

* * *

Back in the demon world, the atmosphere already feels different in the house. The way she looked at him, and the way he fussed about her, even when it's the little things, showed the growing affection between them. Subaru, especially, could hardly contain himself.

His blood-sucking sessions, previously purely what it is, would afterwards turn into heated make-out sessions. He'd inch further up from her shoulder to her neck, and then onto her lips. All the pent-up frustration was beginning to rear its head, not that he cared. He wanted her to know; that he liked her, and he wanted her.

Yui was slightly frightened by the sudden change in Subaru. She'd always thought he was gentle and that he didn't like too close a distance between him and others, but he feels the complete opposite now. It was as though he was a beast that had just been freed. Not that Yui really hated it. After all, it was also exciting and it felt _good_.

It hasn't even been a few days that all this happened, since their first kiss. Yui remained shy, and Subaru would, at times retreat for a while to give her some space. He liked observing her as she did her things. And not once did Ayato pop into his head at all.

Today was just like any other day before. Yui stood at the kitchen counter, preparing dinner. Subaru was in the shower, and as Yui chopped the carrots, she could hear the water running in the bathroom.

 _Now, to just pour them into the soup…_

She was really getting good at cooking. All along, she enjoyed it, but recently, with no school and a lot more free time, she'd been able to surprise herself.

 _Turn up the heat a bit, and stir…_

"Is it done yet?" A voice came from behind her.

She spun around to see Subaru, half-naked from waist up, running a towel through his hair. It was as if it were the most normal thing in the world, except it now isn't, because things between them have already changed. Yui blushed slightly, and said as she turned back to her pot of soup, "P-put on some clothes."

She didn't expect Subaru to just come up behind her quietly, pressing his body to her back and putting his lips on her nape. His kisses tickled, which elicited a giggle from her.

"You're distracting me," she laughed softly.

She couldn't see the expression on his face, but he had his arms around her waist and he kept kissing the back and side of her neck teasingly.

"I can't cook like this," she protested. His kisses felt so good, that after a while, her hands stopped moving entirely.

"Hey," Subaru whispered seductively into her ear midway, "Who told you to stop cooking?"

 _He's teasing me_ , she thought. With Subaru continuing what he's doing, he was just filling her head up and there was no way she could cook properly!

"Ah," she lets out a moan, and almost wants to clamp her mouth shut for that, but Subaru was quicker. He had spun her around, his hands reaching to turn the gas off while he's at it, his deep, red eyes staring right into her own. It took Yui only a split second to jump right into it; she tiptoed, and captured his lips with her own.

It's only been a short period of time, but already, they were getting used to each other in this new way. Yui has learnt that Subaru is actually quite the excellent kisser. A bit too hasty at times, but she doesn't dislike it. She only hopes she is satisfactory too. He'd always start out a little slow, but afterwards, kiss her fervently and deeply.

She would've let out a yelp too, if not for how pre-occupied her mouth was, when Subaru lifted her up to sit her on the countertop. This time, he daringly slips his tongue into her mouth, causing all the blood to rush to her head. _Oh god, but it feels so, so good._ Yui really thought she might explode when Subaru paused to give her some air before kissing her again, but not before showing her a tiny smirk.

She wraps her arms around his neck, dragging him in closer.

The soup's getting cold, but that's okay.


	16. Chapter 16

Thank you everyone for the reviews in the past chapter! I'm really humbled and delighted, and it's so nice to hear everyone's thoughts.

As usual, do leave a review if you'll like ^^ I hope you'll enjoy this one as well!

* * *

If this were a dream, he would never want to wake up.

It was the perfect situation, the best he's ever been in…in forever. To be alone and far away from everyone else, to just be with the girl he liked and whom seemed to like him back too, was more than he could ever ask for. In fact, these past few weeks have transitioned so smoothly that he even wonders if it's too good to be true.

But when Yui turned her head around and gave him the warmest of smiles, he knew it was real. Pulling her into his arms, her back against his chest, Subaru then buries his face into her neck, breathing in the scent that he knows belongs to her.

He listens to her laugh. Man, does he love it when she does that.

They were both on the bed. Yui was just reading, while Subaru tried to, sorta, since she insisted that ' _reading can be fun sometimes_ '. But he's not much of a book reader. He just keeps getting distracted, after all.

"How's the book?" she asked. Of course she'll ask. She seemed to genuinely want to know if _The Great Gatsby_ was to his liking.

"Uhh," he paused, furrowing his brows, "I don't know. How do you even like this stuff?"

"When there isn't much to do, you try to keep yourself occupied best you can. Also, _The Great Gatsby_ is really quite good. I first picked it up at our school library."

"Huh," Subaru shrugs in disbelief.

"My favourite part about it is just how passionate the rich Gatsby is towards Daisy, even when she belongs to someone else. His love for her was real and true, although every bit of her was just a beautiful daydream."

Subaru stared down at the book in his hands, his fingers grazing over its slightly tattered cover. He could barely get past the first chapter without spacing out more than a few times, but then he thought about Yui's words.

… _Just a beautiful daydream._

His eyes landed on Yui next, who has already gone back to her own read, and he wonders: What would happen once Ayato comes knocking? What would he do if she's able to recall things about him after all?

He hopes, selfishly, deep on the inside, that his own beautiful daydream never ends.

* * *

"Yes. He comes here often."

"How often?"

"Twice a week? Do you need something too maybe, Mr Sakamaki?"

The light-haired vampire smiled up at him, as her hands signaled to the items on sale at the cash register. She looked like she couldn't be anything older than 17, but she is a vampire, and it's hard to tell. She could've had a potion, for all he knew. Ayato waved her off, before turning his back to leave the grocery store.

He'd been asking non-stop all around town, if anyone had seen his younger half-brother. It hasn't been easy tracking down the places that Subaru would go to, but turns out, it wasn't as hard as he thought either. In fact, it only took him about a few days. Besides Subaru being been seen frequenting this place, he'd also been seen at a bakery and florist not far from here too. One thing that was plain as day – the stuff he bought meant he wasn't living on his own.

When he found that out, he was also able to narrow down places he could be coming from. Better yet, he found some of those demons that provided carriage transport, and a few of them recognised Subaru.

There were some things about being a Sakamaki. When your father is the greatest vampire lord around, everyone would somehow figure out who and what you are, and that also means traces.

"Take me to where you picked him up from."

It didn't take much to bribe these lowly monstrous beings either. As Ayato watched the scenery get more and more serene, with fewer and farther houses in between, he wonders where Subaru has got Yui holed up.

Before long, the carriage pulled up. "Here, Mr Sakamaki," the demon hissed.

Ayato got off. It was so deserted, just a lot of green to be seen and flowers blooming. It didn't look like much.

And then he saw it, in a distance. A tiny little cottage, one that could easily be missed if you just sped past or didn't keep your eyes peeled. It was lit, which means, whoever's living there is home.

 _That's gotta be it._

He zipped across, and in the blink of an eye, ended up standing right in front of it. Somehow, it struck him to peek in through the windows first, just in case he made some kind of mistake, so he did just that.

And there she was, looking every bit as alive as he'd expected.

"Chichinashi," he whispered, a smile tugging at the edge of his lips.

But then, someone else was walking right up to her. She broke out laughing when he came close, wrapping his arms around her waist, and what happened next killed him on the inside.

* * *

"You're thinking about something. What is it?"

He was by the bedside window, just gazing out into the vast open. Yui looked up at Subaru, who clearly had something on his mind that he wasn't voicing out. He met her eyes, and seemed to be considering if he should say it or not.

"Come on," Yui laughed, "I won't bite."

"Funny how you're saying that to a vampire."

Subaru gave a small smile, which made her heart skip a beat. "I was just thinking about what would happen, if you got back your memories." He avoided eye contact with her instantly.

The atmosphere seemed to turn heavy for a second, but this conversation between them wasn't new. Yui had known all along the things that haunted Subaru; his distancing himself away from others and his finding it difficult to voice his feelings easily. Nowadays, this Ayato issue became one of the things that bugged him as well.

"Subaru," she held his name there in the air till he looked her way, "Nothing's going to happen. I'll still be here." She placed a hand gently above his, and he took it slowly, intertwining their fingers.

Subaru nodded, and Yui hoped what she said helped. She was certain that things happened for a reason. And the fact that she's here right now with Subaru spoke volumes to her.

"It's really pretty outside," Yui noticed, as she looked out. It was so serene and quiet. "I could stay here forever."

"You could," Subaru replied.

"Then what about school?"

"We could study other things together."

Yui laughed, as Subaru put his arms around her waist and pulled her close. It caught her by surprise when he leaned in for a kiss, and she could feel her heart beat faster.

"Subaru…," Yui moaned, her fingers gripping at his shirt.

Subaru kept the smirk on his face, but it didn't last for long when his expression turned all serious suddenly.

"Shh," his voice dropped low. "There's someone outside."

Yui could feel all the hairs on her skin stand, and her entire body turns rigid. She knew Subaru wasn't bluffing. Who could it be outside?

In a flash, Subaru was already by the door, and the lights were all turned out. Yui stayed glued on her spot.

He was cautious with every move he took. He knew whoever it is – is still outside, and he could feel it. But the cottage was at the most secluded area around, with hardly any wild monsters or creatures that passed, and it doesn't exactly look the best on the outside either. It didn't make sense why anyone would sneak around.

Unable to take the suspense any longer, he opened a slight inch of the door, carefully. The moment he did that, the door was slammed open by the threat, and whatever it was had caught Subaru by surprise. The creature had grabbed him and hurled him with great strength across the room, his back smashing into the wall.

He could hear Yui scream his name, and his eyes immediately shot open and he sprang back up, albeit with a bit of struggle. The lights came back on, and Subaru's heart sunk when he saw whom it was.

"…Ayato!"

"You fucking bastard!" Ayato had the silver-haired vampire by the collar, his rage boiling through every part of his body. He was livid. The fact that Subaru dared to even lay a hand on what _belonged to him_ was unacceptable and repugnant. He wasn't about to actually do it, but he couldn't be more tempted to kill someone now.

Subaru was shocked, but he didn't retaliate with hostility.

"How did you find this place?" he coughed.

"I combed the entire town, asshole. How dare you- laying your hand on what's mine!"

"She doesn't belong to you."

"You fucking piece of-," Ayato snarled, his fists landing heavy punches in his brother's gut, to the point where he threw up blood. He was so pissed off he was ready to murder him right there and then, until he felt Yui's fingers clawing his back, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt.

"Stop! Please don't," she pleaded.

At the sight of her, still well and safe and in one piece brought unexplainable relief to Ayato, for some odd reason. He hadn't realised it before, until he saw her face up close, but he had genuinely been worried.

"Yui, listen, just let me take care of this. This asshole wasn't supposed to take you away in the first place!"

He turned his attention back to Subaru, ready to tear him apart, when Yui asked. "You're Ayato, right?"

He wondered if he heard it wrong. Letting go of Subaru instantly, as though the shock had caused him to lose all strength, he turned to face her.

"Chichinashi-."

Yui furrowed her eyebrows. "Is that supposed to refer to me?"

She almost let out a scream when Ayato approached her, his stare burning into her very person. "How- what-" He seemed to be at a lost for words.

Subaru cut in from behind, groaning, "She's been this way ever since the attack at the mansion. None of us knows what happened."

Ayato couldn't budge from his spot, as he took everything in. So it was true, whatever Laito said. Yui had lost her memories. She couldn't recognise him, couldn't remember what happened and that was…insane. After all, the way she looked, the way she talked, none of it has changed. How should anything be any different from the past?

But when he recalled the way Subaru had his arms around her just a while ago, he couldn't stand it. He just couldn't.

He turned around, grabbed Subaru and slammed him against the wall, ignoring Yui's screams.

"What did you do to her!" he yelled, wearing the face of a madman.

"I didn't do-," Subaru only opened his mouth to begin to speak, but 3 words in and Ayato had already punched him across the face. It caused him to splutter more blood.

"Stop it!" Yui screamed, but Ayato simply ignored her.

"You fucking touched her. I had my back turned for a second, and I know you did something. Now tell me what happened!" He slammed Subaru against the wall for a second time.

"We don't know why she can't remember," Subaru coughed, "But…but, I-I have feelings for her. For a while now."

Outraged, Ayato yelled and threw Subaru halfway across the room, where he smashed right into the cupboard, going limp. He could hear Yui scream again, and it broke him when the first person she ran towards wasn't him. Instead, it was Subaru.

"Subaru, oh god," she cried. His face looked horrible, and he was bleeding and moaning in pain. Yui tried to stay strong, and struggled to help him up onto the bed. At the very least, she thanked God he wasn't knocked out, but there were blood and bruises everywhere.

Ayato watched, but the more he did, the more he felt lost. Why did Yui lose her memories again? Since when did they begin living together and since when did Subaru start having feelings for her?

Most of all, he didn't understand – _why him?_ Why did all these things have to happen to just him?

Yui was obviously concerned for Subaru. She practically ignored Ayato as she rushed past him to get a clean cloth and water from the sink, and then back again to the bed, where she started to tend to him.

"Please," he heard her sniff, "Please just go."

It didn't seem like he was going to get any answers tonight anyway. He hated to leave them both alone in the same house, but after the mess he just made, he knew he couldn't stay.

"Yui, I-," he opened his mouth to say.

"Haven't you done enough?" she twisted her head around to stare at him hard. He had never seen her this way.

He swallowed, "I'll come back." Then he turned heel to go.

Ayato closed the door behind him, and then peeked back into the house for a final time before he left, swearing under his breath to be back first thing tomorrow. Yui didn't even care to look over her shoulder anymore. She seemed concerned, but none of her concern was for him. Things weren't supposed to be like this. She was supposed to be happy to see him back and recovered. Nothing was supposed to be this way.

To continue standing there seemed like an poor idea, so Ayato retreated back to town, to find a motel or something to just lay his back on for the night.

As though with Yui's pained expression in his mind, he could even sleep.

* * *

"Ah, fuck," Subaru hissed, as Yui dabbed at his wounds.

"It hurts?"

He nodded once, and Yui lightened her touch. She cleaned at his wounds carefully, soaking the cloth into the water to rinse it, and repeated again. Some wounds didn't look too bad – just smaller cuts that Subaru claims will be healed in a day or two – but most of them looked horrible. His back especially, had taken the most damage. He was now sleeping on his stomach, propped up on a pillow so that Yui could clean him up, but it hurt her to see all the damage that was done to him.

"I can't believe he did this to you," Yui mumbled, "He's vile."

"You were once, _ouch_ \- together with him."

"That sounds impossible."

"You were."

Yui could understand the shock Ayato had to go through. It wasn't something she understood herself, and neither did Subaru, so they couldn't provide any answers, but for Ayato to act all barbaric and for him to hurt Subaru, all those actions were uncalled for. She couldn't believe how she could have fallen in love with someone like that.

"Ok, turn over. Careful now," she warned, after she was done with his back. Subaru groaned as he slowly lifted himself up and over, with Yui's help.

"Isn't there some sort of medicine I can get?"

"'S fine. Vampires heal quickly."

"This might sting a bit," she said, as she dabbed at his face. Subaru flinched and looked away, but he didn't complain. After a while, his eyes shifted to look at her.

He'd admit, that it felt good that Yui was by his side. She didn't just back away (although he preferred she do that, lest she got injured); instead, she's here, worrying over him, and caring for him.

Whatever may happen in the future, she's worth it.

When Yui lifted her hand to clean the blood smeared across his face one more time, suddenly, Subaru gripped her hand. It got her attention.

"What is it? Did I hurt you again?"

"No," he said, "I just- …thank you."

Yui's expression softened, and then she leaned down to lay her face gently against his chest. There might not be a heartbeat, but in the way he was always there for her, she wanted to do the same for him too.

"I was so scared," she confessed.

"Sorry."

"I don't want anything bad to ever happen to you."

"Mm."

She looked up at him, and without thinking, she leaned in to kiss him, a kiss he eagerly returned. As much as she might have been with Ayato in the past, the only person she wants to be with now is none other than Subaru. She was sure, that even if her memories were suddenly returned, these feelings couldn't possibly change.

She was certain, that nothing, not even her memories of Ayato, could ever separate them.


	17. Chapter 17

_"I can stand her not loving me. I can't stand her loving him."_

* * *

Ayato didn't sleep a wink throughout the night. He checked into the nearest decent motel he could find, but there was no way he's able to rest, not with all these thoughts swarming his head.

He had never felt this way in his whole life, so lost and so…left behind. It wasn't even this bad when he discovered Cordelia was just a terrible excuse for a mother, and that she might dispose of him if he ever disappointed her. This time was different.

Ayato transversed between anger and confusion throughout the night, right up to when he found out that his legs had taken him to Subaru's cottage out of town. It was barely daybreak; but now's simply not the time to worry about appropriate timing. It was dark inside, and quiet everywhere. He would just have to break down the-

"Oh my goodness-," Yui nearly screamed when she opened the door just at the right moment. She certainly hadn't been expecting any guests, not at this hour.

"Chichinashi! I-," Ayato had opened his mouth to say, but Yui had emerged from within the cottage, forcing him to back up.

"Shh," she'd cut him off, "Subaru's sleeping."

The sound of his name even rolling off her tongue like that made him clench his fists, the thought of ripping his brother apart not far away in his mind. But Ayato decided that the girl right in front of him was far more important, and so he forced himself to calm down.

"Also, stop calling me that," he heard her complain.

"Calling you what?"

"That. _Chichinashi_."

Yui shifted her eyes to take a quick glance at her own breasts, suddenly cautious about their smaller size. It didn't slip him by.

"I'm just stating the truth, aren't I?" he retorted.

 _What a rude person!_ Yui thought, but she decided that wasn't the point. Right now, she had more important things at hand to do.

"Look, whatever it is, I'm sorry, but I can't help you. I really don't remember anything, and I've tried for the longest time, but I just can't. So, please just leave."

She stormed right past him, but didn't get more than a few steps in when she could feel him come up beside her, keeping the same pace as she did, whilst shooting her questionable glares.

"What do you want?" she said, hugging her small bag and baby pink cardigan to herself, not stopping.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I need to get medicine for Subaru, so I have to go into town."

"Stop right there," Ayato zipped in front of her, effortlessly blocking her way.

"W-What do you want now?" she sounded a little annoyed, but Ayato could hardly care.

"What do you think is gonna happen, huh? If you go into town – and that's if you don't run into anything else before you even get there – they're all gonna smell you. It's not gonna be pretty when you get discovered by some of these other vampires. Besides, going by foot? You're gonna be walking for at least 2 hours."

The earlier determination that Yui was feeling earlier waned all of a sudden. It's true that she hadn't been out before, not anywhere farther than the quiet area behind their cottage, and that was when Subaru was present. This time, she was taking advantage of Subaru's kindness, when he had undone the spell that bound all access of the cottage's exits to its owner, roaming around outside where she shouldn't.

But when the scene of how Subaru had been struggling through the past night flashed through her mind, and she knew. He was suffering from his injuries, and as much as he assured her that vampires are able to heal themselves, she didn't know how long that's going to take. And it breaks her heart, seeing him have to even struggle.

"I have to do something," she said, "I can't just sit around and watch Subaru be in pain."

"He's gonna heal. He won't die from that."

"But he's suffering! I just… I can't take feeling so helpless."

A couple of thoughts flashed through Ayato's mind. _Can't take feeling so helpless, huh?_ That was exactly how he's feeling, but all Yui is just clueless.

This was not the situation he anticipated getting himself into when he stormed his way over, but it seems like he doesn't have a choice. It's either that, or this girl might just get herself killed out there.

"You're sure you really want to go?"

Yui nodded determinedly, and Ayato let out an irritated sigh. "Fine. Then I'm going with you."

Yui's eyes widened. "What, no! You don't-."

"Shut up," he barked, already getting a familiar out to call for some quick transport. He figures he'd see this through, and then he can get back to his original intention – getting Yui's memories of him back. "Like you're gonna last two seconds out there without yours truly."

 _He's so rude_ , Yui frowned to herself. _Am I really going to have to go through this, with him?_

"Look, firstly, you're not gonna go anywhere unless I say so, y' got it?" Ayato turned to her, as they both waited. "Secondly, you're staying in the carriage. You don't even get out or try to do anything."

"I sound like a prisoner…"

"Hey, I'm not going to let you get attacked by some lowly vampire while I'm not looking, okay?!"

The carriage pulled up just at that time, landing perfectly right in front of them. Ayato had grabbed Yui's wrist and pushed her into the carriage, before getting in himself and shutting the door. Yui briefly wondered about the thick scar he's got on his arm, but Ayato looked positively foul, so she dismissed any questions.

As they rode, silence hung in the air, until Ayato broke it, unable to stand such distance between them. He'd wanted to see her for the longest time after all, and even if the atmosphere isn't right, she's still here.

"Oi, Chichinashi. Why'd you leave the mansion?"

She thought about it for a bit, and answered, "Because I couldn't stay there. Not when my father…" her voice trailed off. Only bits and pieces remained in her mind, as if a fog was preventing her from seeing the big picture.

"…But I'm glad Subaru was here with me," she continued, "Or else I don't know what could've happened, or what I'd have done."

Ayato clamped his mouth shut and just gazed outside. Everything she said now had to either begin or end with Subaru's name. It dawned on him that the past month had changed a lot, much more than he'd expected. There were a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts that swarmed in his head, and he was struggling to keep it together.

Just then, the carriage pulled up someplace abruptly.

"Stay here," Ayato commanded, and then he turned to the bats in front, "Make sure she doesn't go anywhere." And then he hopped off, slamming the door swiftly behind him.

Yui had no idea where he's gone or how long he's going to take. She felt like a prisoner, trapped within a tiny, pumpkin-shaped flying vehicle. She waited, and waited some more, listening to only the hustle and bustle that's going on outside. There was a single window next to her, and it really didn't feel like it'll hurt if she just opened it a little for a tiny peek-

Outside, she could see that she was in town. There were creatures and people everywhere, and it seemed like a friendly, ordinary day. She spotted what looked like a café, where people were exchanging conversation, and more other shops down the brick street. It really didn't seem as bad as Ayato described.

She dared to push the window open just a tiny bit more, trying to get more than a glimpse. It hadn't been even three seconds since she made the decision, when two ladies that were strolling past stopped in their footsteps.

"Do you-," one of them began.

"Oh, I smell that alright. It smells like…" the other replied.

Yui could feel herself break out in instant cold sweat, and she quickly closed the window. She could see from the silhouette, that they were out there, peering into her direction. She could hear their voices too.

"Who's inside this, hmm? Hello?"

Yui had a hand to her mouth, and was glued to her seat _. Ayato, please come back! Please!_ She prayed.

"I want to know who's inside this~" one of the ladies laughed, tapping her fingernail on the window. "Whatever you are, you're a special something, aren't ya."

 _Ayato, where are you!_ She hated the tone of their voices. They sounded as though she's something delicious, ready to be eaten…

When the door swung open, Yui took everything in herself to not let out a scream. She nearly wanted to pass out, from either nervousness or relief, when Ayato's face came to view.

"Go," he barked at the bats, which immediately raised the carriage into the air, much to the dismay of the ladies back there.

"Chichinashi," he turned to her, "Are you deaf?! What did I say about keeping still?"

"I didn't know! I didn't even know what they are. And all I did was open the window a little, for some fresh air…"

"Those things are vampires! They smelt you and they could've taken you. _By force._ You don't know what they could've done to you."

"You and Subaru are vampires too…"

" _Tsk_ , we're used to humans. Most of them here, they've never seen or touched a human in their damn lives. Even if they did, they'll have sucked them dry and killed them."

"So," Ayato continued, as he removed his jacket from himself, "From now till the rest of the way, you're staying put." He tossed his jacket over her, as an attempt to mask her smell in case they passed by anymore overly curious folks with a keener sense of smell, something that he felt he should probably have done earlier.

"Wait, are we going back already?" Yui asked

"Waddya think?," he replied, as he waved a small little bottle of liquid in her face. "No way I'm sticking around when the job's done."

He pressed the little bottle into her hands. "That shit's gonna help him tide over. Although the bastard deserved what he got coming."

Yui nodded, and instantly kept it in her bag, in case she did anything stupid like drop and spill it. The carriage was enveloped in silence again. Ayato was looking away, like he was thinking about something, and Yui kept at her end of the seat. She still had Ayato's jacket over her, and it smelled just like him. At the very least, she didn't hate it. In fact, it smelled kind of comforting…

Ayato turned to look at Yui after a while, and it seems she'd already dozed off. Her fringe covered part of her face, as she kept his jacket draped over her, holding it against her body. He inched closer towards her.

 _That's the way things are supposed to be. Nothing should've changed._

Yui stirred when she felt a presence closing up on her. She never intended to doze off in a carriage next to a practical stranger. When she peeled her eyes open, her breath hitched in her throat as she came face to face with him. His eyes were a deep shade of emerald, and it was impossible to look away. Before she could so much as say something, he closed his eyes and pressed his lips softly upon her own.

Ayato was kissing her, barely, but so gently and tenderly, something she'll never expect from him. It was the oddest feeling in the world. Her heart thumped in her chest, but at the same time, she felt incredibly calm, as if there's nothing to be worried about. His fringe tickled her face a little, but his scent was that of a masculine, clean one, and above all, as weird as it sounds, she couldn't quite remember why she should be afraid.

She almost wanted to return the kiss, but then, a sudden wave of sensibility hit her, and she opened her eyes, forcing herself to push him aside. He didn't look mad. His eyes simply followed her, watching how she'll react. Yui swallowed.

"I…" she opened her mouth to say, while desperately searching for the words in her mind, when the carriage gave a sudden jerk, as they touched down on the ground.

It only seemed appropriate to push open the door and leave, after having gotten what she wanted, and it was what she did. She grabbed her belongings, left Ayato's jacket on the seat, and avoided eye contact with him, as she exited. After all, she had made it clear countless of times that her only place is by Subaru's side. She had never asked for that kiss.

Yui took large strides across the green lawn, and didn't even look back once until she pushed the door into the cottage and was finally home. She pressed her back against the door and bit her lower lip, almost ready for someone to come yelling and hammering on the front door. But there was nothing.

When Yui looked out of the window next, she only got to see its door shut, and the carriage take off. He left.

"…Yui," she heard Subaru stir on the bed.

Yui rushed to be next to him, and quickly remembered the little bottle, which she fished out of her bag.

"Where'd you go?" he asked, but when his eyes shifted from her to what was in her hands, they widened, "And where'd you get that?"

"I'll explain later," Yui said, uncapping the bottle, "Quickly, have this."

Subaru gave her an uncertain look, but didn't refuse when Yui brought it to his lips. The liquid was just a mouthful, and was practically tasteless. Subaru gulped it all down at a go.

"Well…is it working?" Yui asked cautiously.

Subaru shook his head, "It's fast, but not that fast. I don't know. It basically speeds up a vampire's healing ability, and it's tough to get." He then turned away.

"Ayato helped you get it, didn't he?"

"How did you know?"

"You reek of him."

Yui honestly didn't think she had any scent of his on her, but then again, a vampire's senses are much sharper than her own, that of a mere human.

"I just wanted to help you… and Ayato, he happened to be there. But if without him, I wouldn't have gotten you the potion either."

"You're crazy," he said, "I shouldn't have undone the spell. You shouldn't have gone out there, especially not with Ayato-."

The way he was looking at her spoke volumes. She could see in his eyes that he minded, and it's only natural that he does. He could smell him on her from a mile away, and it's driving him nuts. As much as he was thankful for the potion, if it meant Yui risking her life out there, and her having to be with Ayato of all people, then he'd rather not have it.

But all these thoughts that he has, he won't say them.

"Hey," Yui couldn't help but notice the change in his mood. He was sulking and she didn't what else to do. The craziest, most straightforward thing she could think of hit her mind. She pressed her lips onto his.

Subaru closed his eyes and returned the kiss slowly. Immediately, it seemed to ease every doubt and worry that he had. He reached a hand up, cupping her face, drawing her closer to him.

Subaru's kisses grew hastier every ticking second. He wanted to erase the mental image of her being with Ayato so badly that it was torture. As they kissed, his hands tugged at her arm, silently egging for her to come from the chair and onto the bed, which she obliged. Without thinking, she hooked a leg over him, and ended up straddling him at the waist.

With his head propped up on a few pillows, it made things more convenient. Yui returned every kiss with as much emotion as she could muster, and Subaru couldn't stop his own hands from wandering as they kissed. One of his hands slipped under her top, feeling the bare skin on her stomach. He could feel her shiver beneath his touch.

"Fuck," he cursed under his breath, when he realised how turned on he was now. It didn't make things any better, when Yui looked ready to lift her own top over her head…

"S-Stop," he pleaded, as he took her wrists. "Please."

Yui paused in her actions, looking confused and slightly embarassed. "I thought that…"

He almost wanted to die of mortification, but he couldn't just go through with this out of the blue. Not when he isn't physically feeling his best either. If the experience isn't going to be entirely pleasurable for the both of them, then he doesn't want it.

"No, it's not that!" he tried hard to explain, "I-I want you more than anything! But, I'm just…not in the best shape right now."

Yui paused, then nodded understandingly, as she lifted herself off of Subaru, and decidedly settled for curling up next to him on the bed instead. She wiggled under the sheets, resting a hand gently on his chest. Although she lay facing him, she didn't look at him.

"Then I'll wait," she said quietly.

Subaru's eyes widened, before leaning in to give her a kiss on the top of her head. He guesses he'll never ever know why, but there's never a day where he doesn't think he's the luckiest bastard in the human _and_ demon world, for being able to just be with a girl like that. He watches her turn to her other side, her back now facing him, and he drapes an arm lazily over her body. He chooses to believe her; he has, and he always will. All those things about her briefly meeting Ayato shouldn't matter, he figures, because he trusts her, and he wants her to trust him too, when the time comes.

Meanwhile, as Subaru slips into peaceful rest again, Yui stays awake. Her heart and mind hasn't stopped racing.

It hasn't stopped, ever since Ayato's lips landed upon her own.


End file.
